


The 3 Trials of a King-To-Be.

by RussianSunflower3



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Adventure, Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Battle on the ocean, Better than the summary suggests, Competition in the notes of chapter 7, Do not be fooled by Kuroo's physical appearance, Feel-Good Adventure!, Flashbacks, Horses, Karasuno largely inspired by ninjas, M/M, MERMAIDS???, Magic-Users, Okeanos - Freeform, Pirates, Sea sickness, Shiratori Empire, Shiratorizawa, near-drowning, other characters to be added - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-07-24
Updated: 2018-01-29
Packaged: 2018-12-06 06:30:25
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 72,854
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11594862
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RussianSunflower3/pseuds/RussianSunflower3
Summary: In every Kingdom, before the King can retire, his offspring must complete a series of Trials to prove they are fit to lead.The Trial of compassion.The Trial of strength.And the Trial of mind.Oikawa Tooru has just reached 19 years old and is tasked with taking a baby back to its home country, unaware the baby is a sorcerer in disguise.Together with his boyfriend Iwaizumi, his best friends Matsukawa and Hanamaki, and the strangers they befriend along the way, Oikawa will have to make his way acrosscontinentsto pass his Trial and gain the right to become King.A feel good adventure fic with world building, romance, light battle, and the wonder of friendship!





	1. The emergance of the 3 Trials.

**Author's Note:**

> A gift for Toranator on Tumblr!  
> Sorry it took so long to write, I hope the length and effort makes up for it!  
> (Expect more chapters soon!)

“Prince Oikawa, you’ve been summoned to the Throne Room.” Placing the book he was currently reading down, Oikawa’s eyes slid over to the entrance of the library, his noble knight and childhood friend standing with dignity and strength as he held the massive door open with one hand.

“Oh? Any word of what for?” Iwaizumi shook his head, closing his eyes momentarily.

“No, but considering the timing…” Gliding across the library floor with elegance, Prince Oikawa’s lip twitched up into a smile.

“The Three Trials.”

“Yes, your Highness.” 

“Now, now, Iwa-chan, we’re well beyond formal titles~.” Oikawa pat his knight on the shoulder, the rings on his fingers clanging against Iwaizumi’s armour as the knight brushed his hand away with an amused huff.

“Not whilst I’m on duty, we’re not.” Nothing more was said between them as the knight fell into step behind Oikawa, a shoulder length to the side and four steps behind exactly. When he was off duty, they would walk together in unison, hands brushing against each other in longing, though not acting upon the urge for fear of being seen by other court officials.

“Prince Oikawa, your cloak-”

“I don’t require it. After all, if father is about to give me my Three Trials, I’ll have to change into something more suitable anyways.” The father he spoke of was King Irihata, a wise and kind leader who was, undoubtedly, becoming rather aged for the throne. A practiced King was a good King, but an old King presented vulnerability. 

Henceforth, when the Prince was of age - as Oikawa was, at 19 - he would be set three challenges by his predecessor. The Three Trials. One of Compassion, one of Strength, and one of Mind. Oikawa took a deep breath before he entered the Throne room. He walked to the centre as if he could glide across the floor, pausing on an off-colour tile before the steps to the Thrones, and kneeled with his dagger held horizontally out in front of him as a sign of respect.

“There’s no need for that, Tooru. Rise, for you are here as my son, not my prodigy.” That only confirmed his suspicions, sliding his dagger back into it’s hilt on his hip as he stood proudly on his feet. He beamed a smile to his parents, receiving soft and loving looks in return. Irihata rose from his throne, walking down the steps slowly. His age was no help for such steep steps.

“Father, are you okay?” Immediately, Oikawa was there at the bottom to help Irihata down, offering him a hand in concern. The old but sprightly King waved him off.

“Don’t worry about me.” A pause, in which the King drew a steady breath and placed his hands upon Oikawa’s shoulder with confidence.

“It’s time, Tooru.”

“For my Three Trials?” With a laugh, the King pats his son on the back hard enough to knock the breath out his lungs. Oikawa isn’t dainty to say the _least_ , but Irihata is amazingly strong from years of training and battle.

“Precisely. Sharp as ever, I see.”

“I had to be, with the way you kept testing me.” The ‘tests’ were less… Official and more like pranks. Oikawa had grown to be perceptive of anything that was even the slightest bit different, thanks to his father’s cheerful and merry way of keeping him on his toes. Thankfully, this focus on perception had served to save Oikawa from many dangers - be it an attack, or a venomous creature on castle grounds.

“This way.” Irihata turned and led Oikawa out of the Throne room through a side door, and Oikawa couldn’t help but realise they were heading towards the infirmary. This must be, he reasoned, the Test of Compassion, but that didn’t explain why it was so close by. Usually, the tests were undertaken in the villages around the Kingdom, even right up to the border.

“Father? Would- Would a medical centre in one of the villages not be better for my trial?” With a sly smirk, Irihata paused in front of the infirmary door. Two guards were on duty, Matsukawa and Hanamaki, who were also close to Oikawa. Not in the way Iwaizumi was, but dear friends all the same.

“You haven’t started yet.” The second the King proceeded through the door, Hanamaki winked at Oikawa as if to tease him and warn him of trouble ahead, whilst Matsukawa grinned, a sure sign that this test was much more than it appeared to be on the surface.

Cautiously, and a touch amused, Oikawa entered the room, his hand resting on the hilt of his dagger _just in case_. His eyes settled on the only occupant of the room other than the nurse and he froze.

“A- A _baby_?!” The baby on the cot kicked its little legs, gnawing on one fist as the other waved around inexplicably. Dark brown eyes with flecks of gold blinked up at Oikawa, from beneath a black bed head so uncontrollable, he would have expected to see it on an unshaven middle-aged man. 

The strangest thing was that the baby gave off an air of magic, a tingling sort of feel to the atmosphere. And those eyes twinkled with a light far too knowing for a child. There was just… Just something about this baby that wasn’t… Normal.

Oikawa’s nose crinkled as he wondered if this baby carried the blood of a sorcerer. It was _incredibly_ rare within the Kingdom of Seijou. Irihata wrapped a blanket around the baby, scooping it up with expertise.

“ _This_ , is Tetsurou. Your task, Tooru, is to return him to his parents.” The baby was passed over to him, shoved into his arms unceremoniously by Irihata. For a moment, Oikawa stammers, brain faltering. He can hear Hanamaki and Matsukawa trying to holdback their laughter through the open door.

“I- I have to-. You want me to return this baby to its parents.”

“His. Not an it. And yes, that’s your first Trial~.” A tiny hand slapped against Oikawa’s cheek and he felt his eye twitch in irritation.

“Not that I don’t… _Adore_ children, father, but wouldn’t it be easier to send a letter to his parents and tell them where to find him? And why would they leave him here in the first place?!” Irihata grins, a smile that could devour wolves alive.

“It’s your _Trial_. This was all prearranged, Tooru. All you have to do to pass, is return Tetsurou to his parents.” Oikawa stares at his father. Stares at the baby. The baby stares back. And proceeds to smack him, right on the nose.

“Ouch! You little brat!” A hideous guffaw breaks from just outside the infirmary, followed by the easily identifiable snickers of Matsukawa. Hanamaki’s laugh prompts Tetsurou into bursting out into giggles. Although, they sound more like cackles. Quite demonic for a baby. With a grumble, Oikawa readjusts his hold to make it more comfortable for both of them.

“If I could deal with Takeru, I can deal with this one.”

“Tetsurou.”

“I can deal with Tetsurou. How old is he, exactly?”

“Between six and seven months.” Racking his brains, Oikawa takes a second to catalogue what that could mean in the time Tetsurou is with them. 

He should have started weaning, if he’s not in the midst of it. There’s the issue that he’ll be fidgeting a lot, potentially crawling away if he’s on the floor. Then there’s the babbling. Oh, the babbling. Repetitive noises over and over again. Belatedly, Oikawa decides he should remove the feather earring from his left ear, as Tetsurou eyes it up with a- a sly grin?

“... Well, I suppose I’d better… Get started.” Irihata follows him out into the hallway, but as Oikawa turns to go to his chambers and change, the King calls him.

“Tooru.” He looks over his shoulder with questioning eyes.

“You can take as many a whole platoon with you. I won’t allow you to leave alone, at the very least.” A concerned note under his strong tone warms Oikawa’s heart and he smiles. His father really loves him.

“Of course. I don’t think a whole platoon will be necessary though. I’ll take Iwaizumi, of course!” Out of the corner of his eye, he notices Hanamaki trying to peer into the bundle, like he’s curious. A devilish idea pops into Oikawa’s head. There’s one way for Hanamaki to get a _really_ good look at the baby.

“Oh, and Hanamaki too!”

“Wha-!?” The guard cuts himself off with a bizarre look of disbelief, Matsukawa trying desperately not to laugh besides him. His hands shake atop the end of his polearm Glaive, giving away the fact that he’s very close to bursting. Oikawa sweetens his smile, tilting his head at his father.

“Iwaizumi, Hanamaki, and Matsukawa shall accompany me!” Irihata chuckles beneath his breath as the two guards glare at his son in betrayal. Internally, he’s thankful, incredibly so. There’s no other trio he would trust as much as this one, and he can safely leave Oikawa in their hands. They’ll guard him with their lives, and keep him company throughout his Trial.

Of course, there’s also the added benefit that Matsukawa and Hanamaki are in on the plan, having helped with the organisation. They know a secret. A very _vital_ secret to ensuring Tetsurou is also safe.

Because they were here when Tetsurou arrived, a powerful sorcerer the same age as them, the pride of his family. They were here when Tetsurou informed them his transformation spell would only last two months, and the Trial would have to be completed within that time. They were here, when Kuroo Tetsurou, a 19 year old sorcerer, used a transformation spell to turn his physical body into a baby.

Not his mind, of course. That remained entirely the same state, which was why it was so _hilarious_ to them when he did baby things, like hitting Oikawa on the nose when he flailed.

“A wise choice, Tooru. Matsukawa, Hanamaki, you two are dismissed from duty to prepare for the Trial. Good luck~.” With a cheerful wave, the King departs. Silence. And then, chaos.

“Oikawa, how could you?!”

“You’re such a little shit, I swear-”

“You were the ones who were soooo interested! I’m doing you a favour!”

“Who said we want to leave the castle? We get three meals a day and a soft, comfy bed!”

“It’s not going to take that long! How hard can it be to find his parents?!” He holds Tetsurou out under the arms, the ‘baby’ babbling. What Oikawa doesn’t see is the grin and middle finger he flashes the guards. Hanamaki grins back, with a hint of a threat. Tetsurou is, after all, 19 like them.

“Oikawa, I think you’re severely underestimating this task.” Brown eyes blink at Matsukawa, and he regrets his words. Because that means he _knows_. Oikawa now knows that there’s something these guards are aware of that he isn’t.

“... Which village is he from, Mattsun?” The sickly sweet voice, painted with venom, sends shivers down Matsukawa’s spine, and Hanamaki glances frantically over in a silent panic.

“I- How am I supposed to know that?”

“Oh, Mattsun, I thought we were _friends_ ~.” Rolling his eyes, Matsukawa shakes his head in exasperation.

“I can’t tell you, Oikawa. Mainly because I only have a rough idea. I don’t know specifically.”

“I can work from that.” Wheedling his way between them, Hanamaki nervously laughs.

“Let’s not fight, right? Oikawa, you know you _technically_ have to do the Trial alone. We’re just there to keep you safe.”

“And keep Tetsurou safe from you.”

“What’s _that_ supposed to mean?!” At the shout, Kuroo takes his opportunity and does the thing babies are best at. He screams, bulbous tears streaming down his face. Hanamaki blinks, because wow, he’s very good at crying on command, unless this is another spell.

“It’s crying! No, no, no, stop crying! Bad baby!” He tries to push the baby towards Hanamaki, who steps back with hands up in mock surrender, squashing Matsukawa against the wall.

“I thought you had experience with Takeru!?”

“Hiro! Can’t breathe!”

“I got to give him back when he started fussing!”

“You’re squashing me!”

“You should still know how to calm a baby!”

“Can’t! Breathe!”

“I’m not going to rock him until he vomits all over me, you do it!” Matsukawa gasps dramatically for breath as Hanamaki accidentally elbows him in the chest, and it’s at this exact moment that Iwaizumi enters the hallway, stares for two seconds, and tries to take it all in.

“ _What_ is going on here?” Without waiting for an answer, he sweeps into action. Tetsurou is taken into the crook of his arm, nestled safely in his elbow. He wedges himself between Hanamaki and Matsukawa, shunting Hanamaki into Oikawa, which gives all four of them space to breathe. Matsukawa takes a deep gasp thankfully, one hand over his chest. 

Tetsurou stops crying in the space of 30 seconds, mainly out of shock because he’s being rocked and _cooed_ at by one of the royal guards, a crest on his earring marking him as one of the highest ranked officials, and the Prince’s personal knight. Iwaizumi smiles lightly when Tetsurou stops fussing, instead fixing Oikawa with a stern gaze.

“Prince Oikawa, go and get read for your Trial! I _presume_ it involves this baby.”

“Yes, but-”

“ **Go**.” The tone of Iwaizumi’s voice dares Oikawa to argue, and whilst he usually would, a babble from Tetsurou has him break into a smirk instead, whirling around and waltzing off towards his quarters.

“Good luck with the little brat, Iwa-chan~.”

“We’re on duty!” Oikawa pauses at the end of the corridor, holding the door half open, teasing look over his shoulder.

“You, Makki and Mattsun are dismissed from duty and are instead to accompany me on my Trial~. I have great faith in you all.” He saunters out the room, letting the hallway door close behind him. His words linger in the stunned silence.

“Did he just… Compliment us?” Matsukawa snickers, placing a hand on Hanamaki’s shoulder.

“Don’t fall for it, he’s trying to get us on his good side.” A lovestruck sigh. They whip their heads to Iwaizumi, who stares softly at the place Oikawa formerly was, before realising they’re looking at him. He shakes his head and holds himself with pride again, even if the tips of his ears are red with embarrassment. 

“Well? What are you waiting for? You’re coming too, so prepare to leave. That’s an _order_.”

“We’re off duty.”

“We’re on duty until we leave castle grounds, _**Hanamaki.**_ ”

“Yes, sir! Right away, sir!” With a salute, Hanamaki swivels on foot and marches off. Matsukawa shrugs and goes to follow. He pauses when he registers Iwaizumi is still standing there with Tetsurou in arms.

“What about you, Sir?” 

“I’ll go to the stables and prepare the horses. His Majesty informed me we would need them.” Tetsurou reaches out towards Matsukawa, as if begging for someone who _knows_ he’s 19 years old to take him. 

“Ma’wawa!” That’s the best he can do, with the vocal chords of a six-seven month old, and he seriously regrets not taking that into account. Although he may have accomplished a powerful transformation spell at such a young age, there’s a huge backlash.

He can’t undo the spell for two months. Kuroo Tetsurou, 19 year old sorcerer with the most powerful and complex magic known in multiple Kingdoms, is physically stuck as a baby. He can’t speak. He can’t walk. He can’t even go to the bathroom by himself, which is going to be incredibly embarrassing later on! 

Worst of all, he can’t cast other spells whilst in this condition. He grunts in a grouchy manner and reaches out a small, chubby hand towards Matsukawa over Iwaizumi’s shoulder. 

“Uh, hey, Iwaizumi? About Tetsurou… Uh…” 

“That’s his name?” Iwaizumi jostles the baby, patting on hand on his back in what should be comforting to a baby. Of course, to Tetsurou, it’s awkward and vaguely annoying.

“BAH!” It’s… Not quite the way he would have phrased it, but the shout for Iwaizumi to stop actually works. The knight draws back to blink in astonishment at such a big noise from a small being.

“Well, excuse you, Tetsurou. Perhaps seeing the horses would calm you down…” 

“Iwaizumi, wait! I haven’t told you about Tetsurou yet!” Iwaizumi waves his free hand in dismissal.

“It can wait until we’ve left castle grounds. Go and get ready, or do I have to order you too?”

“No, Sir.” Reluctantly, Matsukawa vacates the hallway, leaving Tetsurou to Iwaizumi. He feels slightly guilty, but there’s nothing he can do against his superior officer. 

For as guilty as Matsukawa feels, it’s nowhere near as _exasperated_ as Kuroo feels. They’ve stopped multiple times on the way to the stables, both from Iwaizumi debriefing guards and people wanting to see the baby. Someone even _congratulates_ Iwaizumi on the ‘handsome little fella’. Kuroo uses his baby privilege to kick them in the chest.

In what way does he look like Iwaizumi?! Sure, they both have black hair and golden flecks in their eyes, but that is _it_. The similarities end there, and anyone who thought he was Iwaizumi’s child seriously needed a vision enhancement spell. Not that he can cast it whilst in this state.

“Almost there, buddy. Just a little further.” They enter into the courtyard and Kuroo squints at the bright light that flood his eyes. Instantly, there’s a hand casting a shadow over his face, blocking out the harsh sunlight. 

Well. Okay then, maybe he _was_ okay in Iwaizumi’s company. Hopefully Matsukawa and Hanamaki would tell him the truth before he had to go through any _more_ humiliation.

“Kindaichi, are you in here?” From a stall near the back of the stable, there’s a yelp, a clattering, and then a lean, string bean of a boy - around 11 - stumbles into view, absolutely covered in hay. He stutters as he approaches, tripping over his own feet and managing to right himself just before he collides with Iwaizumi, saluting.

“Y-Yes, Sir!”

“Kindaichi, relax~.” If Kuroo were guessing correctly, he’d say the knight spoke with fondness and affection, like an older brother or parent, despite the boy not looking that much younger. Shyly, Kindaichi drops his salute with a shuffle, before breaking into a beam.

“Did you come to visit Rhea? She’s just been around the paddock, so she’s really calm right now!” Iwaizumi chuckles, shaking his head.

“Not just to see. I need her saddled up.” Kindaichi nods and moves to the small room at the back, through a door with a sign that reads _‘Stablehands only’_ , propping the door open with a rake.

“Is it just you or is Prince Oikawa going too?”

“Ah, yes. We’ll need Kronus’s equipment too.” Kindaichi dutifully collects the items, and with a saddle balanced on each arm, walks over to the stable stalls with the names of the horses on. They must be out in the paddock, because those two are vacant. A snort from behind makes Kuroo jump, and even Iwaizumi grunts in surprise.

“Hello, Hades. Yes, we’re going to need you too.” With his free hand, he reaches up to stroke the white blaze on the front of the dark bay stallion’s face, holding Kuroo out of reach of the inquisitive horse, who tries to reach out and nudge him curiously.

“He’s a gentle giant, but I won’t risk it with you, little one.” Sarcastically, Kuroo babbles what is supposed to be ‘thanks’. Instead, it comes out more like ‘ba’. Hades snorts in response, clopping his hooves impatiently against the stable floor. The horse knows that if Iwaizumi is lingering near his stall, it’s time to go out.

“Hey hey hey, wait your turn.” There’s the sound of hooves approaching, and Iwaizumi looks up to see Kindaichi guiding Kronus - Oikawa’s horse, and Rhea - his own amazing mare, into their respective stalls. 

Kronus is a pure black Hanoverian, looking as noble as a horse ever could. His personality, however… He whinnies with excitement and trots on the spot in a circle, the way Oikawa trained him to do for treats. It sort of backfired when Kronus learned he’d get a treat _every_ time he did it, not just on command. When he wasn’t focused, Kronus was as cheeky and mischievous as a child. Kindaichi slips him a treat for his little show, scolding him for doing so unprompted.

Rhea, a dappled grey Merens mare, was the sweetest, gentlest horse Iwaizumi had ever known. He would trust her with a baby, although definitely under supervision. The only fault he could think of was that Rhea was very much a very easily distracted horse. She could deviate from the course at any point to investigate something, especially if it was edible. Hence, she was a little plump.

Hades, the Friesian in his dark bay glory with a white blaze and stockings, was perhaps the most mature of the three horses. He was so well trained, Matsukawa had no troubles with him at all. A gentle giant through and through, Hades was the largest of the horses in the stables, so he often unintentionally gave people a nudge too strong, or cuddled up a little too close to their feet. The stablehands had steel toe capped shoes for a reason.

That was three of the horses they would need to take with them. Iwaizumi waited until Kindaichi had finished saddling up Kronus and Rhea, and collected Hades equipment, before clearing his throat, a tiny bit guilty for having to pass on the news.

“So, I know you might not like this bit, but… We need Persephone too.” Kindaichi stills. He pales. A shudder runs down his spine and he avoids eye contact at all cost, voice meek when he speaks.

“I- I was hoping you wouldn’t say that…” Kuroo makes a sound like a scoff, as best he can do trapped in this baby body. Why would anyone be so afraid of a horse? Shockingly, Iwaizumi seems just as serious and a little hesitant.

“I’m sorry. I’ll have Hanamaki personally bring you a souvenir for your troubles.” The sentiment makes Kindaichi smile a little, but it quickly fades when there’s a break of noise from outside, three other stablehands trying to usher Persephone into her stall. She is, after all, a literal night _mare_ , and always the last horse in from the paddock.

“Go left, dumbass, _left_!”

“I’m trying, stupid!!! She won’t listen!”

“Ah- Hinata, maybe stay away from her-”

“OOF!” A clatter of someone impacting the pile of pails in the courtyard, obviously kicked a long distance. Persephone neighs, followed by several angry snorts.

“- … behind.” Kindaichi quickly moves into Hades stall, gesturing for Iwaizumi to get in the same stall as Rhea. Any legs on display in the stable would be kicked, and only the stall walls can protect them. There’s a struggle, and then Kageyama, Hinata, and Yamaguchi come into the stable realm, guiding the temperamental, yet beautiful mare.

With the most gorgeous palomino colouring, the Marwari mare had curved ears that looked suitably like devil horns. She was like a wild beast, volatile and hotheaded 89% of the time. The only time she wasn’t? When Hanamaki was nearby. The devil became the angel in the presence of her favourite person, and only Hanamaki had ever been able to ride her. It was he alone who had stopped her from being turned loose or culled because of her violent behaviour.

“Finally!” Tempted with sugar cubes, Yamaguchi had lured her into her stall whilst Hinata and Kageyama stood far enough away to avoid being damaged, ready by the stall door to shut it as soon as Yamaguchi bolted out of the stall. And, most likely, to let Kindaichi back in with the saddle.

Having seen Persephone’s behaviour, Kuroo now understood why the stablehand was physically shaking, sending up a prayer to come out _alive_ at the very least. Kindaichi grabbed the reins, deciding it was safer to chance her mouth before getting in range of her hooves. At least he could try putting the reins on through the stall door.

“Ready?” Hinata positioned himself to immediately duck out the way, hand sliding the bolt back from where he’d quickly locked it once Yamaguchi had escaped.

“As ready as I’ll ever be. If I die, I want-”

“Protea flowers on your grave and your name engraved into the random horseshoe in the equipment cupboard.”

“Yes, thank you, Kageyama. And no, Hinata, you can _not_ have my room.” With that, he takes a deep breath and clicks his tongue, calling Persephone over to him. She obeys, if only because she gets to charge at him, frightening him a little more. After stepping outside Rhea’s stall, Iwaizumi watches closely, ready to leap in if he should need to intervene. 

“Yamaguchi, hold Tetsurou.”

“H-Huh?” Neither Yamaguchi nor Kuroo have a choice as Iwaizumi passes over the bundle and quickly moves in to try and distract Persephone whilst Kindaichi puts the reins on. Kageyama and Hinata left to fetch her saddle and stirrups from the equipment cupboard.

“Oi. Perse-pain-in-the-ass. Look over here.” Holding out an apple on the flat of his hand, Iwaizumi very bravely tempts the horse over to him. Whilst she’s distracted, Kindaichi slips the reins over her head and waits until she’s finished the apple before he manages to work the bit into her mouth. A sigh of relief.

“Iwaizumi, why don’t you take the baby out of here? I- I don’t want him getting upset when Persephone throws a tantrum.”

“Good idea. Be safe, won’t you? That goes for all four of you.” He nods at each of them in turn as he takes Kuroo back from Yamaguchi, walking with dignity and pride. Kuroo almost protests, wanting to see how this plays out, but a loud neigh hurts his ears and he claps his hands over them. Who knew babies has such sensitive hearing?

“Iwaizumi~.” Sauntering across the courtyard in commoner's clothing a size too small for him, Iwaizumi knows exactly where Oikawa got his outfit from. Honestly, he can’t even bring himself to be mad. Oikawa looks _good_. 

The black top is tight enough to show off the outline of his muscles, the sleeves only up to his elbows when they were three-quarter lengths on Iwaizumi. His midriff was exposed with the beige harem trousers he chose, low on his hips and held in place with a red belt, his dagger attached to his left hip. His hand grips the tassel of a bag slung over his shoulder, brown leather with adorning beads. Matching brown leather sandals adorn his feet, like gladiator shoes.

There’s a sway in his step, placing one foot in front of the other as he approaches, only stopping when he’s close enough that Iwaizumi can feel Oikawa’s breath swirling across his face. He _has_ to be doing this on purpose, as Iwaizumi suddenly feels thirsty. Smug as ever, the Prince raises an eyebrow.

“You’re blushing~.”

“Sh-Shut up. You stole my clothes.” With a snicker, Oikawa looks like he’s about to lean in for a kiss - their first ever kiss - and Iwaizumi regains sense. He narrows his eyes as he pushes Oikawa back a little.

“ _Not_ here. I’m on duty until we leave castle grounds, your Highness.” He doesn’t need to mention that they’re in the middle of a busy courtyard full of people that could see. Oikawa knows Iwaizumi is undeniably, secretly shy. He would never want to kiss in front of all these people, even if a romance between the Prince and his knight were allowed.

“Are Makki and Mattsun not down yet?”

“No… I’m not sure what’s taking them so long.” Kuroo babbles, reaching out to tug at the tassel of Oikawa’s bag. It’s probably the only way he can convey that the other two are packing, _suitably_ packing, because this isn’t going to be a quick trip. Oikawa, of course, misinterprets it as normal baby behaviour.

“You want the beads, huh? Sorry baby, they’re kind of attached.”

“Awa!!!” Oikawa tilts his head, the corners of his lips twitching up.

“I wonder if we can teach him to say ‘Iwa’, that would be pretty amusing.” Iwaizumi narrows his eyes at the Prince, shuffling Kuroo in his arm and wrapping a hand around his shoulder, to stop the baby from accidentally rolling out of his grip as he reaches again for the beads. It’s _incredibly_ frustrating for Kuroo.

“Don’t. You make my life hard enough with your constant ‘Iwa, Iwa, Iwa’ as it is.”

“Oh? Would you prefer if I called you _Hajime_ ~?” The knight averts his eyes, bashfully turning his gaze to the floor as the Prince laughs warmly, full of love. He pats Iwaizumi’s shoulder as he passes by, on his way to the stables to get Kronus ready for riding. Iwaizumi sighs, locking eyes with the baby.

“He’s an idiot, Tetsurou. An adorable, loveable idiot.” It’s almost concerning how quietly Kuroo stares back with the most unamused expression Iwaizumi has ever seen. He didn’t know babies could _make_ faces like that. At least not on purpose. Eventually, Iwaizumi breaks the contact just because he feels massively discomforted being stared down by a six month old.

“Iwaizumi!” He jolts his head to the palace entrance as Hanamaki and Matsukawa jog down the steps. On each of their backs are **huge** backpacks, stocked with add-ons like a net, weaponry, a tent, and food. Each of them has a haversack, most likely stocked with small food items, maps and medicines. Either way, they look prepared for months of travelling, as they know they should be.

“What _are_ you carrying?!” On the other hand, Iwaizumi has no clue where Tetsurou could be from, who Tetsurou actually is, or how long this Trial is going to take.

“Just the essentials.”

“The bare minimum.”

“Exactly what we’ll need, and nothing else.” Iwaizumi squints suspiciously at them, the duo grinning back with a hint of deviousness.

“You’re up to something.” Hanamaki fakes a shocked gasp.

“I’m offended you would imply so! We are _completely_ innocent.”

“Not so innocent if we consider you must have picked the lock to my room and let the Prince steal my clothes.” Matsukawa guiltily looks skywards, stuffing his hands into his pockets.

“A Prince’s orders kind of outrank yours… Sir.”

“That rascal. I’ll tell him off as soon as we’re off duty, so you two take the lead for the first minute.” The guards exchange a knowing look, reading each others minds as per usual.

“Sure thing, Iwaizumi.” The three of them stride into the stable, and it’s only when they’re within Oikawa’s earshot that Matsukawa realises he’s forgotten to tell Iwaizumi the truth about Kuroo Tetsurou, _again_.

Oh man, when he changes back at the end of the two months, he and Hanamaki are going to have to _run for their **lives**_.

“Matsukawa, whatever you’re giggling about can wait. Mount your horse and let’s go.” Apologetically, Matsukawa flashes a small grin Oikawa’s way. He pats Hades neck, foot in the stirrup, and heaves himself up. The weight of all his bags on his back almost unbalances him, but Hades snorts and leans to compensate for the centre of balance until Matsukawa’s steady.

“Thanks, Hades.” 

“Who’s my good girl~? Who’s my sweet little beauty? You are! Yeah, lil’ P, it’s you~!” All the stablehands plus Matsukawa, Oikawa and Iwaizumi stare deadpan at Hanamaki, nuzzling against Persephone like she isn’t the horse from hell, a devil come to life. Of course, he wouldn’t know this, considering Persephone is an absolute angel in his presence.

“Hanamaki, please. We need to get going.” When he realises all eyes are on him, Hanamaki flusters and nervously laughs, quickly and swiftly moving to get into the saddle. Iwaizumi clicks his tongue and lightly nudges Rhea with his heels, encouraging her to walk into the courtyard. Kronus follows with the lightest of touches, his hooves picking up more like he’s dying to break out into a gleeful trot.

“Your Highness. You should take Tetsurou. It’s _your_ Trial, after all.”

“I know, but Kronus is a little too lively for me to ride one-handed, especially with a baby.”

“Worry not, Prince! We’ve thought of that!” Hanamaki tugs Persephone to a halt next to Kronus, pulling out a large strip of material from his haversack.

“We tore up an old sheet that was about to be chucked out. Sure, it’s not as soft as it used to be, but you can use it as a sling. Keep Tetsurou close to your chest for warmth and shit.” Oikawa takes the torn sheet, tying it around his torso to form a sling, and rolling his eyes.

“Don’t swear around the baby, you fucking moron.”

“Fuck you.”

“Don’t fucking address your Prince that way, you shit.” They’re swatted at the same time, Iwaizumi smacking the back of Oikawa’s head and Matsukawa pinching Hanamaki’s ear and tugging it in a lecturing manner.

“ _Both_ of you quit it.”

“Even if he can’t understand words, he’ll catalogue sounds for later. I will _not_ be returning a swearing baby to its parents.” Hanamaki laughs, Oikawa snickering. Matsukawa sighs, nudging Hades into taking the lead. As soon as Tetsurou is passed from Iwaizumi to Oikawa and safely nestled in the sling, they start off.

As promised, Hanamaki and Matsukawa take the lead, Persephone wanting a head start to stretch her legs anyways. Hanamaki lets her trot a short distance and circles back to rejoin the others, ignoring the way Iwaizumi _instantly_ starts telling Oikawa off for stealing his clothes the split second they leave the castle ground. They’re now off duty, so the Knight will be much more like himself than a member of the royal guard.

“Iwa-chaaaan!” It also means that Oikawa gets to relax, not having to worry about upholding a reputation until they reach populated areas. Henceforth, he whines loud enough to make Kuroo reach up and smack a chubby hand over his lips, his way of telling the Prince to shut up.

“Wow, rude. If I didn’t know any better, I’d say this baby was _yours_ , Iwa-chan.” Iwaizumi scoffs.

“Don’t. Lev thought so too. Tetsurou kicked him in the stomach, but apparently that just further convinced him.” Matsukawa laughs, not holding back in the slightest now that they’re travelling as friends, rather than subordinates.

“Your training sessions _were_ brutal, Iwaizumi! Remember when one guy challenged you to a fight and you just roundhouse kicked him unconscious?”

“I didn’t mean to! I thought anyone challenging me might have had an idea what he was doing!”

“You’re such a brute, Iwa-chan~. But don’t worry, I love you anyways.” Grumbling under his breath, Iwaizumi undoubtedly blushes, which only makes Matsukawa and Hanamaki laugh again. 

The cobblestone path beneath the horse's hooves starts to break up, reclaimed by nature as grass and weeds emerge through the cracks, forcing the carefully paved path further apart. It makes sense, since they’re approaching the forested area up ahead. They have a choice of deviating from the southerly route and taking a dirt track towards the east of the Kingdom, or they can ride through the forest and continue on the path to the Southernmost tip of Seijou Kingdom.

Once they enter the forest, they’ll well and truly be away from the castle, leaving Aobajousai for the duration of their trip. Oikawa obviously has no idea how long this will take, but when they reach the fork in the path, he nudges Kronus into a trot and overtakes Matsukawa and Hanamaki.

“Since you two are packed for an extended trip, we’ll take the dirt path east and then follow the border markings until we reach the north segment.”

“Oikawa…” He doesn’t stop, but he does throw a glance at Iwaizumi over his shoulder, and Iwaizumi knows he’s being asked to speak - not as a knight, but as a boyfriend.

“I- I’m not sure we should go so close to the border. We may not be on royal business, but other Kingdoms may take the presence of a Prince as a threat.”

“That’s true. What would you suggest?”

“That we abandon the set path completely. We could travel the river, or the merchants route.”

“True, but I have a theory about Tetsurou. Something seems _off_ , like he has sorcerers blood in his veins.”

“Ah!” Oikawa huffs a laugh and pats the sling at the interruption, the baby suddenly shouting, almost excitedly yet apprehensive. Matsukawa and Hanamaki exchange a panicked glance. They want Iwaizumi to know, yes, but not Oikawa!

“There are only three registered Sorcerers in all of Seijou. Zaffre market, Celeste town, and the village of Iris are where we’re heading. The merchants route diverts _around_ Celeste town, which is closest, but the river falls into a canyon just across the Dateko border, long before Zaffre market.”

“So you want to go off-trail completely?”

“For the most part, yes.” Iwaizumi frowns deeply, but Matsukawa beats him to it.

“You’re crazy, Oikawa. Going off trail puts us at risk of bandits, wild animals, rouges, and the unknown.”

“I wouldn’t have suggested it if I hadn’t already calculated the risks.”

“If this ends up anything like the sock-trebuchet, I’m turning back now.” Hanamaki tugs on Persephone’s reins to make her halt for a second, just for effect. A small whinney from Rhea starts them off again. Oikawa squawks indignantly. 

“We were seven! Of course that didn’t go _entirely_ to plan!”

“More like; we broke three windows and _nothing_ went to plan.” Iwaizumi snickers at Hanamaki’s teasing tone, gently nudging Rhea to catch up with Kronus. Not that he doesn’t trust his two best friends, but Iwaizumi wants to be right by Oikawa’s side, just in case.

Fondly, Oikawa taps his knee against Iwaizumi’s, at the same time as Kronus grabs some tall grass that they go past. He shares with Rhea, which is more sweet than Iwaizumi thought. It’s almost like their horses are dating too. 

“River dead ahead!” A break in the treeline opens up into a field of untamed wildflowers, lilac and lavender and blue mixing together in splotches and splatters. Beyond the field, a river as aqua as could be, sparkling in the mid-morning sun like it’s filled with sapphires and diamonds.

“We’ll follow the river to Nightshade woods, but then I want to go _through_ the woods instead of alongside it.”

“You know if you die, we’ll all be severely punished, right?”

“I’m not going to die, Makki! I might be a Prince, but I have the same battle training as all of you.”

“Sure, but even we wouldn’t voluntarily go into Nightshade Woods.”

“Good thing it’s not voluntary, then.” Hanamaki rolls his eyes, seriously debating allowing Oikawa to demand he come on this trip. The thing about Nightshade Woods isn’t that it’s _creepy_. It goes way beyond that. Way, _way_ beyond that.

Nightshade Woods has a heart and soul of its own. And it **hates** people. The Woods will do anything to keep humans from entering, including smacking them with branches, sending droves of insects after them, and releasing poison from patches of dangerous plants. The second someone steps onto Nightshade Wood soil, an eerie purple-blue mist ascends from the forest floor. 

It’s dangerous. Recently, as though something had poisoned _it_ rather than it poisoning others, it’s been nothing short of bloodthirsty.

And Oikawa wants them to walk straight through it.

The only one likely to talk him out of it would be Iwaizumi, but Hanamaki’s hope plummets to new lows when he bares witness to the excited sparkle in Iwaizumi’s eyes. He’s- He’s actually looking forwards to entering the forest.

“I think I understand why you two are dating now. You’re just as stupidly determined as each other.” Laughing, Oikawa pulls Kronus to a halt as they reach the borders of Nightshade Wood, the soil changing colour just slightly in front of Kronus’s front hoof.

“Maybe so, Makki. Still, for the sake of my Trial, this is the best route. It’s quick, goes directly where we need, and all we have to do is survive.” Matsukawa’s dry tone rings out.

“You make it sound sooooo easy.” He accompanies it with a roll of his eyes, making Hanamaki snicker and Oikawa huff in partial amusement.

“Just trust me, okay?” A beat of silence.

“We trust you.”

“Of course we trust you.” Oikawa’s expression softens, a tiny smile that betrays his sappy feelings of friendship. For as much as Oikawa acts, and acts, and _acts_ , there are little parts of him that give away his emotions - because amazingly, he still had them despite all the pressure on him to be a perfect Prince. It probably helped that his father had shielded him from the expectations and impossible standards for as long as possible.

Oikawa had grown up human, rather than a blank slate for a royal.

“We should probably let Hades take lead. His flight or fight instincts exceed all of ours.” Proudly, Matsukawa pats his neck.

“We also have a resistance to poison thanks to the elixirs from Brew Two.” A small market stand just inside the castle bailey, Brew Two was one of the only stalls supported, promoted and endorsed by the royal family. Run by Yahaba Shigeru and Watari Shinji, the local teenagers with nothing to do were paid to adventure out and find new supplements that the potion duo could use to create new things.

Their latest brew had been a long lasting anti-toxin created from the inexpensive but hard to obtain cliffside illusion mushroom. It only grew on plateaus by waterfalls, clinging to rocks that were slippery and covered in moss. During the day, it camouflaged against the wet rock. At night, it glowed a vivid neon purple. Not just that, but it released spores upon being touched that would cause vivid hallucinations and illusions. It wasn’t named for jokes.

How the teenagers had managed to turn it into one of the most _amazing_ elixirs Matsukawa had ever seen, he didn’t know, but he’d volunteered to test it on himself as soon as he heard about it. Once everything was assured to be safe and effective, he’d brought another bottle for Hades.

“A resistance. Not a complete antidote. Please be careful.” Matsukawa shoots Iwaizumi a reassuring grin, before he nudges Hades into Nightshade Woods, and clicks his tongue to encourage him to trot. It’s dangerous to gallop, and cantering immediately would put the horses at risk of exhaustion later on, but walking would just be _asking_ for trouble.

“Good boy.” Hades nickers, shaking his head and ruffling his luxurious mane. Perhaps, Matsukawa thinks belatedly, he should have plaited it before they left. Clip-clops follow behind him as Kronus and Oikawa fall into step, Rhea and Iwaizumi behind them in an orderly line. As always, Persephone is at the back, because they can’t risk her kicking out and breaking someone’s jaw.

“I- I don’t like the feel of this at all.” Hanamaki looks around wearily, as if he can sense a fog moving in. Kuroo wonders if maybe he has potential for magic, because he can _definitely_ feel something wrong with Nightshade Wood. The usual pulse of life is thinly wrapped with tendril of darkness, and that means the soul of the Woods is corroding. 

“Aaa…” It _hurts_. As a sorcerer, picking up on corrosion and malevolence usually caused physical irritation, but since he’s a powerful sorcerer trapped in the body of a baby… His sense aren’t dulled, but his pain tolerance sure is. It’s painful, nothing he can’t take, but it’s a prickling heat all over his skin that he wants to be rid of.

Oikawa presses his hand to the bottom of the sling as Tetsurou fidgets, whining like he’s about to cry. He breathes steadily, eyes dead ahead with determination.

“That confirms the sorcerer's blood theory. On the other hand, we need to move quickly. If he cries, we could attract other things to our position.” Kuroo knows that! He knows that, and that’s why he’s doing his best not to cry! Damn this stupid, vulnerably body. He grits his teeth and pounds his little fist against Oikawa’s chest to make himself feels better.

“Oof! You’re a little bully, aren’t you?!” 

“M-Maybe he’s just unsettled.” Iwaizumi casts a concerned look back at Hanamaki, who’s voice shakes almost as much as his hands, Persephone amazingly tolerating the quiver of her reins. She really is soft for Hanamaki, and Hanamaki only.

“You seem unsettled too. Oikawa, maybe we should go around instead.” It almost seems like Oikawa is about to agree, because he cares about his friends and doesn’t want to cause them turmoil, but Hanamaki vividly shakes his head.

“It’s nothing! I’m uneasy, sure, but not enough to stop us.”

“Are you sure?”

“Mhm.” Truthfully, he’s terrified. But Hanamaki’s best quality lies in facing his fears head on and eventually conquering them. He isn’t going to turn back here. Just for a sense of security, he shuffles his bow down onto his elbow, making sure his arrows are easily within reach. Matsukawa’s polearm Glaive might have a lot more strength, but it’s only mid to short range. Hanamaki’s arrows reach much further.

Oikawa’s twin daggers, positioned neatly on the dip of his back, were short range when he used them in combat, or long range when he threw them. They were specially designed to be used for both, after the Prince had requested something that covered all ranges.

On the other hand, Iwaizumi was steadfast in using his Nodachi. Longer than a Katana but just as sleek, and able to cut through a tree stump with one well-aimed swing, the Nodachi was Iwaizumi’s perfect combination of elegance and strength. He’d considered upgrading to an Odachi, but that turned out to be far too long. The control was much better with his current weapon.

“Let’s pick up to a canter. It won’t be long now before-”

“Poison ahead. A widespread coverage, but it’s still low to the ground.” 

“- That happens. Mattsun, we’re cantering now!” The four pick up to a canter, jumping over roots as the tear themselves out the ground and ducking under branches that whip their way. The whole Wood is coming alive, violently, and Kuroo can’t feel anything but discomfort, like a thousand ants crawled across his skin, setting him alight and scrubbing at his skin. For the first time in a year, he genuinely cries.

“Shh, shh, it’s okay, Tetsurou…” Oikawa can’t hold him closer, having to keep both hands on the reins, but he dearly wishes he could. Even if there’s something weird about this baby, even if he’s inclined to think the baby is way too mature, Oikawa has that want to comfort and protect whomever he’s in the presence of. He once sat down with a maid and hugged her very tightly for an hour when she broke down at work.

“Oikawa! We need to get into a clearing before the mist rises!” The flowers that produce and release this poison are nestled in the crooks and crannies of the tree roots, so if they can find a spot in Nightshade Wood with no trees… 

“Follow the moss on the trunks! There should be a huge, mossy pond up ahead! We can rest easy there for a moment!” Matsukawa grunts in approval, his keen eyes scanning the trees as they canter through the forest, following moss that seems to grow thicker the more he follows it. Eventually, he bursts through the branches of a willow tree, and Hades splashes into dark, murky water. They move into the centre, giving plenty of room for the other three. The water here is deep enough to reach halfway up Rhea’s legs.

“This should be safe - for now.” Iwaizumi grunts and grabs a vine as it lashes out at him, giving it a warning tug and deadly glare and releasing it. The vine doesn’t try again. Oikawa is too busy trying to calm Tetsurou, who seems to have reduced to sobs, but bulbous tears still roll down chubby baby cheeks.

“He’s inconsolable… I’m not sure what to do.” Hanamaki is _still_ looking around like something’s watching them, flinching at every movement and snapping his head in the direction of every noise. Matsukawa leans across to rub a hand up and down his back, trying to calm him down.

“It- It’s gotta be something to do with the Woods. I can _feel_ it. Maybe he can too.”

“I think you’re right. We need to get him out of here, soon.” Suddenly, Hanamaki jolts up in his saddle, enough to startle Persephone. He grabs his bow and arrows, taking quick shallow breaths and aiming for- 

Oikawa?!

“M-Makki, what are you doing?!” 

“Duck!” The extent to which Oikawa trusts his guard - His _friend_ \- is shown when he immediately ducks with no hesitation, no questions, no doubt. Releasing the arrow with a slow exhale, Hanamaki feels the fletching feathers brush his cheek. What he doesn’t expects, and is wildly different from normal, is the yellow sparks that fly from his arrow as it glows.

It strikes into into target, pinning one of Nightshade Wood’s crystal soulshards against a tree. But where the soulshard should be a shade of blue, it is instead an ominous lime green, with flecks of indigo. It squirms, like it’s trying to escape, but the arrow keeps it pinned there, and rather than shattering, the crystal stays intact as the yellow glow spreads across it like fractures, until it covers the whole surface. Then, and only then, does the crystal break. 

There’s a prolonged silence as the five stare at it, before Iwaizumi lets out a breath of awe, and Matsukawa turns to Hanamaki.

“I- I didn’t know you could do that.”

“Neither did I.” Kuroo squawks, reaching towards Hanamaki, who instantly understands.

“You- You think I have _magic_?” Since neither Oikawa nor Iwaizumi know the truth about Tetsurou, they assume he’s just asking in the plural sense. Which is exactly why Oikawa speaks over Kuroo’s nonsensical babbling, even if they’re saying almost the same thing anyways.

“Did you not see what you just did? Of _course_ you’re magic! Maybe not a sorcerer, but definitely something.”

“A protector…”

“Huh?” Iwaizumi openly looks at him in awe, lips threatening to turn into a grin in excitement.

“You’re a protector! It’s- Your magic comes out when there’s someone you want to defend from what you see as a danger! And you _purify_ that danger! You’re awesome, Makki!” The enthusiastic praise, childlike and innocent coming from Iwaizumi, makes Hanamaki fluster and blush, sheepishly rubbing the back of his head.

“I- I’m not that awesome… But thanks, Iwaizumi. That means a lot.”

“Hey… Did anyone else notice Tetsurou stopped crying?” 

“Ma’wawa!” His indignant shout, like he’s _offended_ , causes Oikawa to laugh.

“Look at that! He’s close to saying ‘Iwa’ and he’s close to saying ‘Matsukawa’ too! Tetsurou, try ‘Makki’! Ma-kki! Come on, you can do it!” If Kuroo was still in his 19 year old body, he would have hit Oikawa’s shoulder. But he’s not, and the best he can do from here is a middle finger. Although, that would give the game away.

Still, if he wants Oikawa to stop asking him for something, he just has to do it… Badly.

“Maa’eeee.” It has very much the opposite effect as Oikawa wheezes.

“That- That is! That’s _perfect_! Hey, Ma-ee, like your new name~?” Hanamaki silent glare says all. Iwaizumi rolls his eyes with his lips twitching into a smile.

“Just when we thought the nicknames couldn’t get any worse.”

“Hey! They’re not worse! It’s fantastic! And it was Tetsurou who came up with it, not me.” Matsukawa slowly shakes his head and Oikawa’s laughter trails off.

“Okay, well… I thought it was funny. Right, Tetsu-chan?” Brown eyes with flecks of gold that appear to swirl widen and stare at him, deeply _offended_. Tetsu-chan! Tetsu-chan?! Why on earth was he be given a ridiculous nickname?! Hanamaki and Matsukawa burst out laughter, making Oikawa grin, and Iwaizumi smiles softly.

“I think it’s cute.”

“It is, right~?”

“Mhm.”

“You’re just saying that because he’s your boyfriend.”

“Wh- No, I’m not! Tetsu does sound cute!” Matsukawa’s shoulders shake as his laughing evolves into soundless wheezing, one arm wrapped around his stomach and the other gripping Hades’ reins. Hanamaki grins and slaps his back as he walks past on Persephone, reminding him to take a breath.

“I can’t sense anything… Disturbing anymore. Think it’s okay to head out?” 

“What about the poison mist?” Hanamaki jerks a thumb at Matsukawa, expressionless.

“I don’t think Mr.Wheezy over here will be any help.” Snorting, Matsukawa chokes on another bubbling laugh, further cementing Hanamaki’s belief that he’s of no help right now.

“I’ll go.” Iwaizumi swings his leg over Rhea, one foot in the stirrup and the other loose. He hesitates, glancing at the pond water below. He dips down just enough that the toe of his shoe sends ripples across the surface and grimaces, pulling himself back onto the saddle.

“... Maybe not.” Oikawa sighs sympathetically, tugging Kronus into standing right next to Rhea so he can put a reassuring hand on Iwaizumi’s knee. The childhood fear of water never subsided, though he’s learned to cope as long as he isn’t more than _ankle deep_ it.

“Mattsun might be… Occupied, but Hades is reliable enough.” Reaching into his pocket, Oikawa pulls out a small horse treat. Kronus’s ear prick up at the rustle of the paper bag it’s in, snorting and doing his full circle trot. Rolling his eyes, Oikawa gives Kronus the first treat before pulling another one out and clicking his tongue, drawing Hades attention.

“Hades, you want? You want it? Go _get it_!” 

“Oikawa, that’s not going to wo-” He lobs the treat back the way they had come in, and Hades quite happily trots after it, Matsukawa shrieking and having to quickly right himself in the saddle. He doesn’t stop at the edge of vegetation like he would if there was still poison mist lingering and Oikawa smirks back at his companions. Iwaizumi fixes him with a lecturing look, whilst Hanamaki raises an eyebrow as if to ask _‘sooooo?’_.

“Well, it worked!” 

“The mist is gone, we can proceed carefully.” Having sobered up from his laughing fit, Matsukawa watches the willow next to him that suspiciously twitches in his direction like it’s going to whip him the second he takes his eyes off it. Oikawa nudges Kronus forwards, picking up into a trot once they’re out the pond. 

Matsukawa and Hades wait until Rhea passes to fall into line, Hades flicking his tail as Persephone nips at his hindquarters as if to hurry him along. Hanamaki makes a noise in the back of his throat that warns her to behave. 

“How much longer until we reach the other side?”

“If we went around… We’d be halfway by now. So we’ll be out very soon.” Iwaizumi tries to stand up in the saddle to peer over Oikawa, to see if he can notice an exit, but Rhea does a little jump over a log at the same time so he has to sit himself down properly. 

Knowing exactly what’s going on behind him, Oikawa smirks, trying to ignore the way Tetsurou seems to be _intentionally_ trying to pull one of the loose threads of Iwaizumi’s shirt. His shirt, now. Nothing like an Iwaizumi shirt to make him happy and comfortable for the journey. It smelled like him too, which was an added bonus.

“The exit’s just up ahead. We’ll have to jump the thicket though. Mattsun, is Hades okay with high jumps?”

“He’s getting better. If not, he’ll just chuck me over it and find his own way out.” They laugh at the image of Matsukawa being tossed like a ragdoll over the thorny thicket at the end of Nightshade Woods, but quickly quieten when Oikawa pulls Kronus to a stop.

“We’re here.” He wasn’t joking about how tall the thicket was. It’s almost as high as the tallest jump in the training paddock, one that only Kronus, Persephone, and the King’s own horse - Ouranos - had ever cleared. Hades struggled with the highest jumps and Matsukawa had been thrown off more times than he could count.

Iwaizumi was a little doubtful about Rhea’s ability too. She _had_ been a good jumper, but recently… She was starting to get far too plump, and he wondered if her weight would hold her back.

“I could try cutting it back a little. Not enough to anger Nightshade Woods, but enough for us all to clear it.”

“No. We won’t harm the forest.” Oikawa’s voice is stern and stubborn, Iwaizumi sliding his Nodachi back into its sheath. Taking a deep breath, Oikawa calms himself. He adjusts the sling so Tetsurou will stay in it, no matter what, even in the rare case that Kronus throws him instead of making the jump.

“Let’s go, Kronus.” He leans forwards in his saddle, clicks his tongue and nudges his heels against Kronus three times, to make him gallop. With grace and ease, Kronus leaps the hurdle, soaring through the air high enough to make Oikawa feel like he’s flying, before the horse lands hard and steady, galloping a little further but slowing to a trot. Oikawa tugs on the reins so he can face Nightshade Woods.

“It’s clear! Iwa-chan, your turn!” He closes his eyes, mentally filtering out the birdsong and wind through the grass, focusing on the pounding sounds of hoofbeats. It takes Iwaizumi and Rhea three attempts to build up the courage to even get _close_ enough to jump, Rhea twisting away at the last second and Iwaizumi trying to soothe her.

On the fourth attempt Rhea makes the jump, a little low, but aside from a few scratches on Iwaizumi’s uncovered shins, they’re absolutely fine. They join Oikawa and Kronus as Iwaizumi dismounts to sit on the floor and hold a hand over the small cuts. They might not be dangerous, but they sting like hell.

“Hiro’s coming next!” Oikawa doesn’t have time to ask why Matsukawa allowed Hanamaki in front of him before Persephone clears the thicket like an expert. She may as well have wings. Hanamaki has the most _smug_ expression possible when he pulls to a stop next to Oikawa. Persephone flicks her tail in Kronus’ face like she’s showing off, if they were human too.

“Mattsun, are you okay?”

“Yeah, yeah! We’re just… Working through some things!” Oikawa’s brow creases, worried. There’s a good chance Hades wouldn’t make the jump - whether he stopped and threw Matsukawa over the thicket, or failed the jump and was injured. They can’t risk that. 

“Stay where you are. We’ll look for another way out.”

“It’s okay, I think we have something!” Hanamaki bites into his bottom lip warily.

“Does anyone else have a horrible sense of foreboding…?” Iwaizumi nods and Oikawa humms in agreement. Just as he considers moving back towards the forest and trying to peer through the thicket, there’s a loud cry.

“GRAAAAAAH!!!” Swinging the pole end of his Glaive, Matsukawa bursts through the thicket. Yes, _through_ the extremely thorny bushes. Hanamaki, Kuroo and Oikawa burst into laughter as Hades just _keeps going_ , because Matsukawa is much too occupied chanting ‘Ow, ow, ow!’ to signal him to stop. His idea had not worked in the slightest, but at least Hades had a coat to protect him. Matsukawa had patches of bare skin that had been exposed to the thorns, much like Iwaizumi’s shins.

“Hades!” Iwaizumi sticks two fingers in his mouth and whistles. Almost immediately, Hades skids to a stop, and Matsukawa ultimately topples from the saddle, his massive backpack cushioning his fall. He doesn’t get up, instead lying there and continuing his little chant at the scratches. Oikawa and Hanamaki dismount at the same time to join Iwaizumi in running over.

“You okay?”

“That was… A terrible idea.”

“Sure was~.”

“Whatever incentive you had, please disregard it for the future.” Matsukawa narrows his eyes in a miniature glare at Oikawa, then sighs and turns his gaze skywards.

“Consider it disregarded.” He huffs. He chuckles. And then he laughs, Hanamaki joining in as he offers Matsukawa a hand up.

“As much of a failure as that was, it was _hilarious_. I’m going to draw it as best I can, so humans for years to come can bear witness to your stupidity on parchment.”

“You say that as if you haven’t done worse. Remember when you thought you could use pottery as stepping stones across the moat?”

“They _**floated**_!! That was convincing enough!” Iwaizumi pinches the bridge of his nose.

“We’ve _all_ done stupider stuff than that. Right now, let’s continue to the closest village. Maybe we can find a healer there.” Oikawa eyes up the scratches covering Matsukawa, and the few on Iwaizumi’s legs. They’re deep, potentially risking infection.

“The nearest is… Mintmay. I think. Or potentially Turquoisium.” Hanamaki pulls a scroll out of his haversack, checking the inscription on the front before he unseals it and rolls it open. It’s a map of the South East Kingdom. He quickly locates the castle and traces his finger along the route they’ve taken, cutting through Nightshade Woods.

“Turquoisium is closest, but I think Mintmay would be a better decision. We’re not likely to find a healer in a mining town.” 

“A mining town? Makki, that’s _bound_ to be full of healers! They have to be prepared for cave-ins, attrition, and general scrapes. Not that they’ll be happy to see us if we only have a few scratches…” 

“We could tide them over with payment?” Iwaizumi pats the small pouch tucking in his belt, 5 gold coins inside. Shaking his head, Oikawa folds his arms, lowering them when Tetsurou grunts at the movement.

“I don’t want to waste their time. They’ll be busy. Makki, how long do you think a diversion to Mintmay would take?” 

“About… Half an hour. We should arrive just before midday.” Nodding, Oikawa rummages in Matsukawa’s haversack until he finds the bandages, unrolling them and working quickly to cover up any exposed scratches. Iwaizumi gets a little extra ‘help’, a soft kiss pressed to his temple, making the knight blush once more.

“This’ll do until we can get them healed. I don’t want either of you getting an infection.”

“C-Can we just go already?” Oikawa raises an eyebrow expectantly, and Iwaizumi grumbles before swiftly returning the kiss, placing his soft lips on Oikawa’s equally soft cheek.

“Oh, Issei, they make me _soooo_ jealous! When will I be swept off my feet and kissed by the one I hold dear?!”

“Wha-? Hey! I bet Iwaizumi doesn’t have to deal with Oikawa stealing his bedcovers though!” Hanamaki snickers, knowing full well that he woke Matsukawa this morning with cold feet to his legs, wet sloppy kisses to the back of his neck, a huge hickey on his shoulder, and the blanket _gone_ , wrapped around Hanamaki like a snake in a burrow.

“No, just my clothes.” Iwaizumi grunts, tugging at Oikawa’s sleeve. 

“Shh, the baby’s asleep.” Three heads whip towards the sling, where sure enough, Kuroo has fallen into a deep slumber. Hanamaki frowns.

“Nightshade Woods must have taken a lot out of him… Even I feel slightly run down.” Iwaizumi slaps his back as he moves to mount Rhea again, making sure to give her a soothing pat on the neck.

“Chin up, Makki. You can rest whilst Mattsun and I get healed up.” Oikawa smiles down at Tetsurou, thinking about how cute the baby is when he’s not babbling in a supposed sarcastic tone, or smacking his face.

“We can stop at a tavern in Periwinkle when the sun starts setting. Then we’ll reach the village of Iris tomorrow first thing.” Matsukawa almost chokes as he settles back into Hades saddle

“You expect us to get as far as _Periwinkle_?!”

“I was hoping Majorelle, but since Tetsu-chan’s asleep and Makki is exhausted - don’t protest, I can read it on your face - we’ll have to travel a little slower than hoped.” Mounted on their four horses, they look towards the horizon, the direction they’ll be travelling. 

Silently, Oikawa nudges Kronus forwards, and his loyal friends follow. Whilst he expects to find Kuroo’s family in one of the three places he knows Sorcerers live, Hanamaki and Matsukawa know the truth.  
Their adventure is only just beginning.


	2. Crows and caverns

A well rested night in Periwinkle sees Hanamaki up and dressed at the crack of dawn, yawning and rolling his shoulders as he walks out to the balcony of the Tavern. Since the Tavern only had 1 room left, with two singles, he’d shared a bed with Matsukawa whilst Iwaizumi had shared with Oikawa.

Or at least, that was the plan. But Hanamaki blinked as he stepped onto the balcony, Iwaizumi slumped in a chair with one arm dangling through the rails and the other arm across his lap, a wrapped up bundle nestled in the crook of his arm. Kuroo could easily have slithered and crawled away, had he been awake too.

Actually… This was the _perfect_ time to tell Iwaizumi the truth about Kuroo!

“Iwa-!”

“Mrnnn…” He cuts himself off, whipping his head back to the room as Oikawa sits up in bed, rubbing his eyes tiredly. _Unbelievable!_ Just as he had an opportunity! Brown, sleep-heavy eyes turn to Hanamaki, a lazy hand waving in greeting.

“Morning, Makki~...” The Prince sounds ready to flop back into the bed and catch a few more hours sleep. But contrary to that, he drags himself out of the warmth, pulling on the harem trousers and (Iwaizumi's) black top from yesterday. They’re still clean, mostly.

“... Oikawa, did you seriously sleep in just your braies?”

“What, and you didn’t?”

“ _No_. Because Issei and I packed pyjamas, like _normal_ people. Iwaizumi even asked to borrow some.” Oikawa looks to his side, suddenly realising that he’s the only one in the bed.

“Where-?!” Hanamaki holds a finger up to his lips, shushing him before he wakes Matsukawa or Iwaizumi. He points to the chair on the balcony next to him, although it’s hidden by the curtain on the inside.

“Iwa-chan?”

“He’s asleep. With Ku- Tetsurou.” Luckily, Oikawa seems too sleepy to pick up on his little slip, simply nodding his head and stretching his back out.

“We should see if we can bring food up. As soon as they’re awake, we need to eat and go.”

“Mhm. Did you want me to go and get it? It would be bad if anyone recognised the Prince in a completely vulnerable state.” Oikawa narrows his eyes, dropping his hands to his hips.

“As if. We all know that out of the four of us, I have the best hand to hand combat. If I could ruin you, think what’ll happen to anyone who dares interrupt me in the _morning_ , trying to get _breakfast_.” Hanamaki dips his head, putting a hand on his heart.

“A pity on their souls, Oikawa.” He puffs his chest out proudly, grinning a smile that could steal hearts and dazzle the blind.

“You’d better believe it~.” They hold eye contact for approximately four second before breaking into giggles and snickers, trying to stay quiet for the sake of their sleeping boyfriends. Matsukawa grumbles in his sleep, burying his face deeper into the pillow and snoring. Loudly. It sets Hanamaki and Oikawa off all over again.

“Wha’sgo’ngon?” Iwaizumi jolts out of his sleep, fortunately gripping Kuroo closer instead of dropping him. Hanamaki claps a hand over his mouth, swallowing down his giggles.

“Sorry, Iwaizumi. Just me ‘n’ Oikawa messing about.” Iwaizumi gargles back a completely dysfunctional sentence, his eyes fluttering like he’s struggling to stay awake. His entire expression is strained, like he didn’t get much sleep last night. Hanamaki doesn’t notice Oikawa slipping out the room door.

“You okay?” Iwaizumi sighs heavily, reaching up to rub at his eyes with one hand.

“Yeah.”

“Get any sleep at all?”

“Barely.” He yawns, head lolling for a second before he picks it back up and rests his cheek on the balcony railing, shuffling around so his other arm cradles the baby closer to his chest.

“I kept worrying if he was too cold, or too hot, hungry, thirsty, or needed the bathroom.” The last point has Hanamaki swallow a lump in his throat. Oh no. Oh _no_. He and Matsukawa had slept the whole night. They hadn’t gotten up to take Tetsurou to privately do his business. _Which meant_...

“Oh… Uh… I- I guess he was good, then?”

“Yeah, I only had to change him twice.” Oh _**fuck**_. Kuroo was going to absolutely slaughter them as soon as he turned back. They were going to have to run for their lives. He was definitely going to kill them, or worse.

“Luckily I was able to get some milk from the midnight staff, so he didn’t go hungry.”

“Th- That’s good. Uh, Iwaizumi? You did know we had baby food in our bags, right? He’s weaning, so Issei packed them. Oikawa,could you-... Oikawa?” The empty space where Oikawa was before doesn’t answer him, obviously. Hanamaki wants to smack himself. He should have known Oikawa would pull something like this. Even back in the castle, the Prince was sneaking off at every opportunity.

“He’ll be fine.” Iwaizumi waves a hand in a dismissive manner, speaking through a yawn.

“This town’s pretty safe anyways, but no one can handle themselves like Oikawa.” 

“You have more faith in him more than I do.”

“It’s not a matter of faith. It’s just that I know what he’s capable of.” Hanamaki wipes away a fake tear with an equally fake sniffle.

“That’s so sweet.”

“Oh, shut it.” The remark is all bark and no bite, Iwaizumi closing his eyes and sighing as the streets beneath them start to come to life, slowly but surely. The background noise must be soothing, because he closes his eyes and lets silence descend between them. Understandingly, Hanamaki takes Kuroo from him, so Iwaizumi can fold his arms and try to lightly doze.

“Bah.” A chill runs down his spine and he tries not to look at Kuroo’s face as he carries the baby sorcerer over to the bed, and nestles him against Matsukawa’s side. Only then does he make eye contact, incredibly apologetic, the panic in his eyes frantic.

“I’m sorry, okay?! I didn’t know we were going to sleep all night!” A furious enclosed fist waves in Iwaizumi’s direction as Kuroo angrily babbles, his frustration leaking through his tone, since he can’t use words.

“I know, I know, I’m sorry! I’ll tell him as soon as possible, but right now, he needs to sleep since _you_ kept him up.” Kuroo sticks out his tongue with a cheeky self-satisfied gleam in his eyes. Hanamaki glares back, nothing serious, but just enough to warn Kuroo not to do it again.

“I’m back!” The door clicks as Oikawa re-enters, shutting it with his heel. He carries a tray with four bowls of rice on, as well as a large pitcher of water. Hanamaki nods in acknowledgement and turns his attention to trying to wake Matsukawa up.

Considering Matsukawa could probably sleep through an invasion, he’s very proud of himself when rolling him off the bed works. Waking Iwaizumi is easier, since Oikawa presses light kisses all over his cheeks and forehead, whispering sweet words and crooning until he rises, a dopey smile on his face. Matsukawa and Hanamaki watch with baited breath, waiting for them to lock lips-

“Ab uggy!” As nonsense as it sounds, Matsukawa somewhat understands Kuroo’s announcement of being hungry. Amazing, he can speak baby. Oikawa and Iwaizumi jump apart, Hanamaki groaning in frustration and dropping his head onto the table in front of him. Honestly, their lives would be so much better if the Prince and his Knight would stop being so skittish and _finally kiss_.

“I’ll get him. You three eat.” Matsukawa rummages through his backpack, pulling out the preserves jars with baby safe food as Kuroo wrestles himself free of the blanket he’s wrapped in and crawls over. 

“Pick your poison, Tetsurou.” Matsukawa recieves a glare for his commentary, as Tetsurou reaches out and pats the jar containing mushed apple and pear. He can read the labels, of course, so it’s not like a normal 6-7 month old randomly picking the closest option.

“Apple and pear, nice choice.”

“Oh please, Mattsun. He’s a _baby_. If he could choose, he’d go for the berry and banana mix. Everyone knows berries and bananas are superior to _apples_.” Iwaizumi kicks him lightly under the table, tapping his bare foot to Oikawa’s calf.

“The only reason you don’t like apples is because you gorged yourself stupid in the castle orchard.”

“... Okay, true, but they were there for picking!” The other three quietly laugh at Oikawa’s misfortune as he grumpily shoves his cheeks full of rice. Matsukawa puts a hand on Kuroo’s back to keep him sitting straight, not that he needs it, but it’s a precaution, and passes the spoon over when Kuroo sweeps an arm at it. 

A normal seven month old wouldn’t be able to hold the spoon, let alone feed themselves. Kuroo, being an actual 19 year old in the physical form of a baby, has some idea on how to do it. Matsukawa just sits back and watches, making note of any spills to clean up. By the time Kuroo finally finishes, Iwaizumi and Hanamaki are both changed and ready to go, Oikawa ready long before them.

“Makki, Iwa-chan, you two go check on the horses. Mattsun, eat your breakfast, I’ll deal with Tetsu-chan.”

“That’s such a nice way to put it. ‘Deal with’. Must make him feel _so_ secure in your presence.” Oikawa waves a hand at Matsukawa to shoo him off the bed and over to the table, where he instantly starts devouring his own bowl of rice plus anything the others have left. Grabbing the cloth Kuroo was wrapped in, Oikawa swipes him up as the baby attempts to crawl away.

“Not so fast, tiny human! We need to get you changed and bundled up so you can’t escape.” As much as Kuroo puts up a fight, making Oikawa’s life as difficult as possible, he’s changed into a clean, linen tunic and coif, which makes him feel ridiculous but does protect from risk of sunburn. 

“Ready to go?” Matsukawa stands up, brushing his hands off on his pyjama top as he throws it into the section of his backpack meant for dirty clothing. His choice of clothing for the day is a royal blue shirt with puffy white sleeves, a rope and tassel around his waist, securing his coin pouch on his hip. His dark brown trousers, with a tear at the knee, are slightly too short on him, showing off his white socks and brown leather shoes.

That’s when he notices Oikawa staring longingly at the pillow he slept on last night.

“Oikawa, no. You can’t steal the pillow.”

“I’m not going to _steal_ it! I’m thinking we should have brought our own!”

“I know that look in your eyes. Don’t touch the pillow.” Sighing, Oikawa rolls his eyes and fixes the sling into place, trapping Kuroo against his chest once again. Kuroo, of course, is not too happy about this and proceeds to try tugging at the loose threads on the shirt again, to no avail. Curse these baby hands with no steady grip. His personal challenge keeps him occupied until they reach the Tavern stable, where he’s quickly interrupted by a grey snout pressing into his sling, nuzzling the baby.

“Careful, Rhea. Gentle, gentle.” The firm but loving command from her rider has Rhea pull back slightly, the lightest of hairs on her muzzle brushing against Kuroo investigatively. He reaches out and lightly pats the space above her muzzle, making a connection. He _likes_ this horse. Not so much Hades, who tries to wriggle his way in and get a sniff himself, snorting nostril gunk all over Kuroo. 

“Ewww, that’s gross, Hades.” Oikawa uses part of the sling to wipe Kuroo clean, making sure there’s no snot on his face or arms.

“Well… That’ll do.” Matsukawa laughs as he mounts Hades, tugging the reins to pull his horse back a few steps.

“Sorry, Oikawa, Tetsurou. I don’t think Hades is aware we don’t like being snorted all over~.”

“Obviously _not_.” Kronus clops around in a circle impatiently, demanding a treat for his clever little show. Oikawa reluctantly hands one over before mounting, shifting in the saddle and slipping his feet into the stirrups.

“Ready?”

“Ready!” His three loyal friends answer in synchronisation, giving him matching grins, and Oikawa exhales with a hint of pride. He wouldn’t swap them for the world.

“To the village of Iris!” He almost puts Kronus into a full on gallop in his enthusiasm, when Hanamaki eases Persephone into his path.

“Easy there, Oikawa! We’re still in the middle of town!” Sheepishly, Oikawa rubs at the back of his head and apologises. Until they reach the border of Periwinkle, they walk their horses through the bustle of the morning crowds, travellers and locals alike moving throughout the streets in timeless fashion. Periwinkle is well known for its inns, taverns, and boarding places. 

The town is one of the most popular spots in all of Aobajousai Kingdom, well known for the beauty of the blue-purple flowers that bloom in their thousands all over town and in the surrounding fields, giving off a sweet smell that lures in wildlife abound. Its rich hunting grounds in the forest nearby draw in a number of people from nearby towns, seeking to provide for their family.

Passing by the forest, they see a herd of deer that nervously skitter back into the undergrowth at the four horses appearance. Knowing how dangerous these large herbivores are, Oikawa gives the signal for his group to break into a gallop, just in case the stag of the group decides to charge them. They remain at full speed until they’re due to travel over a bridge, the brook below no obstacle to them, but it’s best to use the bridge anyways. There’s no point in getting their horses hooves wet when they still have a long journey ahead of them.

They cross the bridge one by one, the stoney path dissolving into dirt as it leads into another forest. Luckily, this one is nothing like Nightshade Woods. No, this is simply uneven land decorated with pine trees - none of that ‘soul of the woods’ gimmick going on.

They’re halfway through when Iwaizumi nudges Rhea forwards, pulling up next to Kronus. He and Oikawa share a _glance_ , no words spoken, and Oikawa nods. With that, Iwaizumi falls into place behind Oikawa again. Matsukawa glances over his shoulder at Hanamaki as if to ask what’s wrong when Oikawa raises a hand. They grind to a halt immediately.

“Oika-?”

“Reveal yourselves and state your intentions.” He projects his voice into the vast expanse of the forest, sending birds fluttering away and startling any mammals nearby. The forest remains silent, other than Persephone snorting and lashing her tail impatiently.

“ _Reveal_ yourselves, and state your intentions!” Hanamaki is about to question if Oikawa’s losing his mind, when he notices the tension in Iwaizumi’s shoulders, the knight glaring into shadows the sun casts by the trees. Oikawa grits his teeth, ready to shout again if he has to, when Matsukawa makes a sound of surprise.

Two shadows drop from the canopy, landing perfectly on the ground in front of the travelling party, clothed from head to toe in browns and dull greens. Oikawa jerks his chin up as he looks down his nose at them.

“ _And_ your leader.” There’s not even a rustle in the treetops as another, clad in the same outfit, drops directly between the two. Whilst they remain crouched, he stands, ready to defend himself if need be, or challenge them. Brown eyes the shade of hickory stare at them fearlessly.

But Oikawa Tooru is not easily intimidated by defiance.

“Identify yourself.” No answer. Iwaizumi loosens his nodachi from its sheath, ready to draw it if he has to. Oikawa holds his hand out flat at hip height, ordering him to sheathe it once more. He does so, reluctantly. The stranger nods at each of his companions, and they stand at his side, all three removing their headwraps.

The tallest and largest has long brown hair pulled into a bun, his chin bearing the neat beginnings of a beard. Despite his ferocious appearance, there’s something about his stance that makes him appear hesitant. Matsukawa silently compares him to Hades.

The most slender of the three has silver hair that would be the envy of nobles, his eyes honey in colour but lionhearted in nature. Iwaizumi gets the impression that he is the most dangerous of the three, should they wind up in combat. He narrows his eyes at the man, who unashamedly _winks back_.

Their leader, standing proud in the centre with his chest puffed out and courage burning in his eyes, is well built, but nothing Oikawa couldn’t contend with. He steps forwards, and Oikawa’s hands flinch towards his daggers. At the slight movement, Matsukawa equips his Glaive and Hanamaki draws an arrow, ready to fire.

The trio are unwavering.

“We are Karasuno. I am Sawamura, and these are my right hand men, Asahi and Sugawara.”

“I don’t trust anyone who can’t give me a first name.” Oikawa slowly unsheathes his twin daggers, angling them so the sun coming through the trees glints off them. Sawamura huffs, bemused.

“Sawamura _Daichi_.”

“What is ‘Karasuno’? An uprising? A rival Kingdom?” Sawamura shakes his head with an airy chuckle.

“Not at all. Think of us as… Observers.”

“Observers.” Oikawa repeats the word with distaste, feeling it roll off his tongue with a bitter taste. But Kronus isn’t reacting negatively, so he can perhaps listen to this ‘Karasuno’ until he passes judgement. The silver haired man steps forwards, pressing each of his fingers together in a way that makes him seem _innocent_ , despite the aura he gives off.

“Think of us as shadows. We work behind the scenes in every Kingdom, making sure situations that could lead to war are quelled before they even start.” Iwaizumi pouts, eyes narrowing in thought.

“You’re assassins?” Sawamura shakes his head again quickly.

“No, no. Like Suga said, we quell those sorts of situations before they begin. Of course, our focus is the Royal Families, since that’s where the seeds of debate and disagreement are sowed.”

“Although we wouldn’t hesitate to intervene with lethal force if necessary.” Sugawara smiles, baring his teeth threateningly. Asahi flusters, pulling Suga back by the shoulder and scolding him in a panic whilst Sawamura addresses the Prince and his companions.

“We were informed by our… Scouts that you were on the move, potentially to other Kingdoms. Prince Oikawa, are you on the warpath?” It takes approximately 34 seconds for Hanamaki and Matsukawa to burst into hideous laughter, almost falling off their horses with the force of how _hard_ they laugh. Oikawa turns to shout at them for being _rude, so rude_ , and sees Iwaizumi with a hand over his mouth muffling his own laughter.

“Wow, okay! Maybe I should have come alone! You just _laugh_ at me, geez!” Iwaizumi takes a deep breath, calming himself and wiping away tears with one hand, his voice pitched a little high when he speaks, broken with little coughs from where he’s holding back laughter.

“Th- This guy? Wage a war? Oikawa is the most _stupidly_ pacifist I know. He- He cried when he accidentally knocked the librarian over, once!”

“Iwa-chan! They don’t need to know that!” Asahi sighs thankfully at the news that they’re not dealing with a bloodthirsty aggressor, seeking conflict with other Kingdoms. Sugawara laughs heartily, joining in Matsukawa and Hanamaki’s cacophony. Matsukawa manages to somehow wheeze through his guffawing.

“Remember when- Remember when he- When the kid that came with the diplomats kept- kept smacking him with a wooden sword and-!” He breaks off into hysterics and Hanamaki has to carry it on, partially wheezing.

“He- He pretended to be ‘slain’ but he- but he-! He was at the top of the _stairs_!” Iwaizumi laughs freely, a huge grin in place as he finishes the story.

“Yeah, and you two were at the bottom to greet him when he fell!” Pouting, Oikawa hunches up his shoulders and tries to suppress the growing blush dawning on his face.

“Now you’re just being mean.” The Karasuno trio laugh too, and the forest feels brighter, warmer. The tension and coldness from when Iwaizumi and Oikawa had detected someone following them had completely dissipated. So much so, that even Kuroo laughed - although it was more at Oikawa’s misfortune than copying sounds. 

“Even you, Tetsu-chan! Even _you_!” Somehow, the ‘baby’ wriggles to sit up in the sling, tugging off the coif and waving with a babble at Karasuno. Sawamura cuts off his deep chuckle with splutters.

“ _ **Kuroo**_?!” Hanamaki and Matsukawa freeze, sharing a panicked look between them. Oikawa blinks, eyebrows rocketing up to his hairline in surprise.

“You know him?”

“Yeah! Kuroo Tetsurou! He’s a sorcerer from Nekoma! Though I’m not sure why-... he’s…” Waving their arms frantically, Hanamaki shaking his head and Matsukawa motioning for him to shush, paired with Kuroo’s freaked out expression and shriek, Sawamura catches onto the fact that Kuroo’s true form is supposed to be a secret from the Prince.

“Uh- Why he’s here. In Aobajousai. In-Instead of Nekoma.” Oikawa, on the other hand, looks incredibly pleased.

“I _knew_ he had sorcerer’s blood in him! Although I’ve never heard of Nekoma…” Mumbling under his breath, Oikawa lists all the Kingdoms he’s been made aware of, from Shiratorizawa, to Dateko, to Wakutani South, Jozenji, and all the Kingdoms in-between. Even provinces like Ougiminami are considered, but he still can’t think of a _Nekoma_.

“Makki, you had the maps, didn’t you?”

“Yeah?” Steadily, Oikawa nods his head, adjusting the reins in hand.

“We’ll find a clearing to lay down as many maps as possible. If Tetsu-chan’s family is in Nekoma, that’s where we need to go.” Sawamura glances at Sugawara and Asahi, gesturing for them to leave. They silently pull their masks back on, and leap into the shadows of the canopy once more. Once they’re gone, hidden by the breeze, Sawamura turns back to Oikawa.

“I’ll accompany you, Prince. Considering you’ve never _heard_ of Nekoma, there’s going to be many Kingdoms you’ll come across that have no idea how to travel.”

“And you do, Sawamura?”

“I know them all.” Oikawa smirks, nudging Kronus forwards and trusting the others to follow, as always.

“Better keep up, then. Hyah!” Going straight into a gallop, the horses start to race, egged on by their riders with carefree abandon. They’re going to have to stop and look through the maps soon, so the horses can rest then. For now, it’s freeing and _fun_ , and there’s nothing to stop them racing anyways.

“Go, go, go!”

“C’mon Hades, we can do this!”

“Eat our dust!” Persephone and Hanamaki bolt past, the Marwari mare at an advantage with her long legs and slender build. On the opposite end of the spectrum, Rhea is plump and stubby, and her gallop may as well be classed as a speedy trot by Persephone’s standards. Clomping along at the back, Iwaizumi sighs and instead decides to enjoy the scenery.

The race, mostly, is for second place between Hades and Kronus, Oikawa risen up in his saddle, and Matsukawa hunched over as far as possible. Their competitiveness comes to light when there’s a fallen tree across the path, and instead of one falling behind the other to get past, they try to _edge_ each other into the path of the tree. Being stockier, Hades gets the one-up and Kronus is left heading for the tree trunk.

“Let’s do this, Kronus!” But rather than shying away or slowing his horse to fall in line behind Matsukawa, Oikawa puts himself into a stance that allows Kronus to pick up even more speed, guiding him to the centre of the trunk. 

They jump.

Kronus soars like an eagle, clearing the tree trunk with grace and ease. When they land, thanks to not having to curve their path, they get in front of Hades and Matsukawa, the Prince laughing victoriously. Up ahead, Hanamaki has pulled to a stop and dismounted, waving from the edge of a clearing. That’s their finish line, and once the other two have gotten the message, he moves out the way to observe. 

Thundering hooves rust past, kicking up dust and leaves and wind, and Hanamaki coughs whilst wafting a hand in front of his face. But there was definitely a clear winner.

“1st place, me ‘n’ Persephone! 2nd place, Oikawa and Kronus! 3rd place, Issei and Hades! And in forth…” He puts his hands on his hips and grins as Iwaizumi and Rhea plod into view, having pulled back from a gallop to a trot. At the same time, Sawamura swings down from a branch and somersaults into the clearing, glistening with sweat but grinning.

“Considering I had no warning, I think I kept up pretty well~.” Hanamaki laughs, patting Sawamura on the shoulder strong enough to knock him off balance and wind him.

“4th place goes to Sawamura! Sorry, Iwaizumi, you’re last~.” Rolling his eyes, Iwaizumi dismounts from Rhea and gives her a rewarding pat on the neck.

“Sure, but you know that if it was on foot, I could beat your ass at anything.”

“Anything?”

“ _Anything_.” The corners of Hanamaki’s lips turn upwards in a smirk as his eyes narrow with a glint of shameless self confidence.

“That sounds like a challenge~.”

“You bet it is!” Iwaizumi cracks with his knuckles with a grin like sunshine, radiant enough to make Matsukawa jokingly shield his eyes.

“Alright, you knuckleheads. If it involves running, I’m out.” 

“Aww, Mattsun!” Oikawa whines, trying to drag him into it, but Matsukawa shakes his head firmly with a small smile, pointing for Oikawa to join the other two in lining up. The Prince passes Kuroo over to him and does so, tongue poking out the corner of his mouth as he positions himself ready to launch from the ground. Sawamura stands back to observe, when he realises all eyes are on him.

“... You’re not expecting me to join in, are you?”

“You’re one of us now, Sawa-chan!” Sawamura sighs, dropping his arms to his sides and stepping into line.

“Alright. But just to note; You’re going to regret this, _loser_.” Oikawa gawps openly at the Karasuno member, amazed at how smug Sawamura sounds. Oikawa had been expecting him to be more stern, shrewd, patient, and _well-behaved_. It seems like challenges bring out the big kid in all of them.

“There’s only two rules. Firstly, you have to stay on the ground. Sorry, Sawamura, no tree ninja stuff for you. Secondly, race to the fallen tree, _touch it_ , and then race back.” He receives 4 identical grunts of affirmation, and raises his arm, ready to drop it as a go signal.

“Ready… Set… Goat!” Matsukawa cackles hilariously as Hanamaki lunges forwards and then settles back with a groan, Oikawa jolts up and then shoots a glare at Matsukawa, and Iwaizumi pushes off with such force, that as he instantly stops, he slams face first into the ground. Sawamura snickers, but doesn’t move.

“Mattsun!” Oikawa’s glare and scowl only increases Matsukawa’s laughter until he takes a deep breath and wipes away a tear. By this point, Hanamaki and Iwaizumi are both staring at him with complete disinterest.

“Alright, alright, fine. I’ll do it properly this time.” He waits until they’re in position again, raring to race.

“Ready, set, gold!” Hanamaki trips over his own feet and stumbles to a halt after three steps, Oikawa not even moving from where he was, and Iwaizumi jolting but not getting caught out. Once again, Sawamura is completely still, smirking.

“ISSEI, FOR FUCKS _SAKE_!”

“I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I can’t help myself!” Giggling under his breath, he lets them get ready to run again, this time with Hanamaki and Iwaizumi glaring at him.

“Ready… Set… Go fuck yourselves!” Iwaizumi throws up his hands with a groan of exasperation, and Hanamaki narrows his glare before whipping his head around to Oikawa and Sawamura, taking off like lightening.

“Oikawa, what-?” The Prince shrieks into the forest, sending birds scattering for their lives. He doesn’t stop running, determined to stay ahead of Sawamura and get a head start on Iwaizumi.

“ _He said go, he said **go**_! It counts!” Hanamaki shouts nonsense as he starts running after them, and Iwaizumi only takes a heartbeat to overtake him. Sawamura hunches over, arms behind him to reduce airflow, giving him a slight speed boost that lets him slip by Oikawa, just in time to touch the fallen tree first, pushing himself off as he twists his whole body round, quickly gaining the lead.

“Why the fuck am I last?!” With a burst of playful frustration, Hanamaki reaches out and tackles Oikawa as he passes on the way back, both of them sprawling to the ground and play-fighting where they are, getting coated in dust and dirt and, most likely, bruises. That takes those two out the running, so it’s now down to just two.

Iwaizumi catches up to Sawamura, and with a sideways glance and matching grins, they shift into whole new level, like neither of them were trying with full effort in the first place. Oikawa and Hanamaki pause in their sprawling around in the dust to watch, and even Matsukawa blanks out for a split second. It’s hard not to, when two very attractive men are grinning and competitively racing.

“Makki, we’ve been blessed.”

“We have.”

“Imagine if they keep competing.”

“Amazing.”

“We’d get to see Iwa-chan flex.”

“ _So good_.”

“Arm wrestle.”

“Hell yeah.”

“... Do you think we can convince them to take part in oil wrestling?” Hanamaki double takes at Oikawa just as Iwaizumi crosses the finish line, Sawamura one step behind.

“Oikawa… You’re kind of a genius, but are you really okay with me ‘n’ Issei gawking at _your_ boyfriend?” Oikawa shrugs, a twitch of a smile on his lips.

“Sure. He’s his own person. If he’s uncomfortable with it, he’ll tell you to stop. Or ask me to tell you to stop. More so than that, you’re only looking. That’s no harm at all~.”

“Incredible. I’d murder a small crowd of people if they were ogling Issei without his permission.” Laughing, Oikawa shakes his head and pushes Hanamaki off him to jog back towards the horses in the clearing.

“I’m sure you’ll have time to do that in the future. For now, let’s look at those maps.”

“Oh. Right, Nekoma.” Hanamaki snickers and nudges his shoulder against Oikawa’s, hard enough to knock him a step to the right. In normal circumstances, that wouldn’t be allowed. _Touching_ wouldn’t be allowed. Oikawa Tooru is a Prince, and must maintain a regal image at all times, physical contact only allowed behind closed doors, certainly not in public.

But whilst they are on his Trial, he travels with them as a friend, not a Prince. This sort of rough housing is more than expected, and Oikawa delights in being able to behave… Normally. Without any rules or pressures. His father might have been extremely lax about the rules and easygoing, but Oikawa still had to obey them in the public eye.

“Oikawa, Makki, hurry up.” They speed up, Hanamaki skidding to a stop at Persephone’s side and cooing as he removes the reins and bit to give her a moment to rest. Oikawa takes Kuroo back from Matsukawa, who promptly removes the saddle from Hades and wipes him down with a rag. 

Iwaizumi walks Rhea around the outside of the clearing for a bit, hoping to calm her down as she seems… Agitated, for some reason. Bloated, perhaps? Whilst Oikawa tends to Kuroo, who demands food with a smack to Oikawa’s face, Sawamura helps out by patting down Kronus the same way Matsukawa does with Hades. It’s important the horses are comfortable with this trip too.

“Rhea’s really unsettled. I don’t know what’s going on…” Matsukawa looks over with concern in his furrowed brow.

“Does she have a blister or saddle sore?” Removing the saddle carefully, Iwaizumi runs his hands around Rhea’s back and girth to search for any suggested sore spots. He can’t feel any, nor is there any unnaturally warm areas, or swellings.

“No… Although she is rather round. Probably bloated.” Sawamura looks over from hanging Kronus’s reins on a nearby branch, head tilted with concern.

“We’ll be going through Shiratorizawa, no doubt. I have a companion there who can look her over, if you’d like.”

“That’d be great, thanks.” A low groan, almost a growl distracts them. From where he’s helping Hanamaki roll out the maps, Oikawa grinds his teeth together and makes a noise of frustration.

“Shira-fucking-Tori-fucking- _Zawa_.” Matsukawa snickers under his breath as Hanamaki muffles a laugh, whilst Iwaizumi shakes his head in good humour. 

“... What’s wrong with Shiratorizawa?” 

“Oh no, Sawamura. You’ve just opened a _whoooole_ can of worms.” Oikawa huffs and crosses his arms, giving Kuroo an unintentional squeeze that makes him angrily shout out and flail his limbs. By now though, Oikawa knows to jerk his chin back to avoid his face being pounded by tiny sorcerer fists.

“They tried to talk Father into joining their Empire! And the old Emperor Washijou just- just! When Father said no, he threatened an invasion! He might not have done anything yet, but the threat was there! And the _Prince_.” Oikawa hisses like he’s suddenly caught ablaze, fury bubbling under his skin as lava fills his veins.

“Prince _Ushiwaka_! He had the _audacity_ to suggest I _**marry**_ him as a diplomatic move! As if I’d ever marry anyone other than Iwa-chan!” The statement has the Knight flush deep red with blush, diverting his eyes to the treetop canopy and rubbing the back of his head. Oikawa only finishes his rant with a sound caught somewhere between a scoff, snort and a sigh. Sawamura blinks.

“Well… We are going to have to travel through Shiratori empire anyways. And we’re _not_ avoiding the capital.”

“... I hate you all.” Turning his attention back to the maps, Oikawa has to carefully align them so they match up, because as luck would have it, anything further South of Shiratorizawa bears no label, no names, and only a basic outline of the country. It makes sense, since Seijou is landlocked and a relatively new Kingdom, with very few explorers and mapmakers. Hanamaki puts stones down to hold the maps in place, as Oikawa skims his eyes along the lines and squiggles that mark borders, areas of caution, and trading routes.

“Since Shiratorizawa has incredibly specific laws, an entourage of our size and nobility will only be allowed to enter through the merchant road in the north. Typical. We can’t just head south straight away like we need to, nope, Shiratorizawa has to make things hard on us.”

“It’ll only take an extra 3 days, approximate.” Oikawa narrows his eyes, nose crinkling in distaste, and puts a hand on Kuroo’s back with surprising gentleness.

“Sorry, brat, looks like you’re stuck with us a little longer. You can thank Shiratorizawa for that.” Kuroo babbles sarcastically, not that anyone can understand what he’s saying, but Hanamaki, Matsukawa and Sawamura can _clearly_ hear the displeasure in his voice. Iwaizumi seems to just think he’s agitated, like babies get sometimes.

“Oikawa, we’re in a safe spot. Why not let him crawl around a bit?” Kuroo almost bawls tears of happiness, he’s so _cramped_ in the sling, and Iwaizumi’s suggestion is so beautiful, he could hug him. He won’t, though. Maybe. Depends on whether Iwaizumi would hold him better than Oikawa or not, because there’s something very uncomfortable about being crushed in a sling against Oikawa’s chest. He’s muscular, but there’s no padding whatsoever. Not to mention he keeps accidentally bumping the sling and nudging his elbows in.

“Good idea, Iwa-chan~. I can give my shoulders a break too.” Much to his relief, Kuroo is let loose, and instantly shows a bid for freedom as he scrambles around to stretch out his sore, cramped limbs. For a moment, forgetting that he’s trapped in the body of a baby, Kuroo gets far too close to horse hooves. Lucky for him, it’s Rhea, who doesn’t move a step as the small thing crawls into her personal space.

“You’re an active one, you are~.” Iwaizumi coos as he scoops Kuroo up, turns him around, and sets him off again with a gentle nudge. Not the most embarrassing interaction, but he still finds himself scowling as Sawamura chuckles. Oh, how he hopes at least one of the _three_ who knows his secret tells Iwaizumi the truth. He really doesn’t want to go through the nappy changing again. As if having to _wear_ a nappy wasn’t humiliating enough.

“Okay, so we’ll get into Shiratori via the north, travel through the capital, and exit through the south into this unnamed area… I can only guess it’s a desert, considering how vast and _empty_ it looks. Plus these small patches over here are probably towns around oasis. Then into this… Much smaller Kingdom.” 

“You have no idea what any of these are, do you?”

“Do I _look_ like I know any of them?! Makki, I’ve never been taught anything south of Shiratorizawa! I can list 12 to the north, 7 to the east, and 4 to the west, but the _south_??? This was never in any of my lessons or books!” Hanamaki hums in agreement, because honestly, he’s never even considered what could be beyond Shiratorizawa.

“I can help you there.” Sawamura kneels down opposite Oikawa, running his eyes over the map they’ve patched together quickly. 

“This is Okeanos. These are all parts of one commonwealth called Fukurodani, but they’re connected in a clever way, so it’s easy to travel between them.” His finger trails from circling the dotted section of map to the next largest landmass, about half the size of the Seijou Kingdom. It’s further South than where Oikawa had been suggesting they travel.

“This is the most dangerous place we’ll have to travel through. Nohebi republic. It’s mainly jungle, so it’s filled with dangerous creatures, and since the climate is so different from Seijou, you’re all at risk of exposure. Not to mention the mountainous region we have to cross to get…” His finger drags across the map, crossing a border.

“...To Inarizaki. It’s more of a sovereign state than a country, but don’t be fooled by its small size. They came incredibly close to defeating Itchiyama in a war 477 years back, before Karasuno was founded. Inarizaki resisted becoming part of Itchiyama until three months before it collapsed.”

“Itchiyama?! The most powerful empire in all history?!” As much as Oikawa might not know of the south, every royal and noble across the world has heard the rumours and history of Itchiyama, an empire than once covered all the land on the several maps laid out on the clearing floor. The only reason this once-great empire receded was because their strength was their downfall. Having exhausted supplies and money on military, the empire broke apart into the pieces that form the base of Kingdoms and republics to this very day.

“Mhm. Because it was only three months that they were considered conquered, Inarizaki kept all their records, data, customs and beliefs predating the empire. They're the only ones with full record of Itchiyama's conquest.”

“That’s amazing… That’s _amazing_!” Oikawa’s eyes are full-blown in excitement, like he’s raring to get to Inarizaki immediately. Sawamura huffs and traces the map into a much larger area.

“And this is where we need to get Kuroo. The Kingdom of Nekoma. An absolute no-go if you’re allergic to fur.” He gets four identical looks of confusion, but smirks instead of explaining. Matsukawa and Hanamaki look to Kuroo as if he could give them the answer, but he’s too busy using Iwaizumi’s leg to try and stand. The knight watches him carefully, fondly, as if this were his own child. It’s… Kind of cute.

“It’s a long journey… I see why Makki and Mattsun brought huge backpacks no-... _YOU KNEW_!!!!” He whips around on the two guards, pointing accusingly at them with comical anger in his furrowed brow and narrowed eyes, lips pushed into a dramatic pout. His voice drops to a hiss.

“ _You knew_.” Hanamaki nervously forces out a laugh and scrambles away, taking shelter behind Iwaizumi and Kuroo. Holding his hands up in surrender, Matsukawa gulps.

“T-Technically we only knew we had to go a _looooong_ way. And how long it could and should take.” Oikawa rolls his eyes, slightly offended that they didn’t share this information with him, but mostly disappointed in himself for not extracting the truth from them in the beginning.

“Well… Just looking at the scale of this map, I can guess our little adventure will take… Around 7 weeks.” 

“Guys, look! He’s _standing_!” Whatever Sawamura was about to say in response, mouth already open and words swirling on his tongue, ready to come out, is cut off by Iwaizumi’s excited, proud announcement. He’s crouched down, one hand in front and one hand behind Kuroo, ready to catch him if he falls. The six month old proudly grins, highly self-satisfied. His hand are even on his hips as he pushes his chest out. 

And then his tiny baby legs wobble and he can’t stand anymore. He pitches forwards, straight into Iwaizumi’s hand, and the knight scoops him up.

“You’ll be taking your first steps soon! What a surprise that would be for your parents!” As much as Kuroo would like to explain that he took his first steps 18 years ago, thank you very much, there’s something about the pure _joy_ on Iwaizumi’s face that he just can’t ruin… So instead of bawling to panic the knight, like he would have if it were Oikawa, he forces out a laugh and claps his hands gently against Iwaizumi’s cheeks. 

Matsukawa, Hanamaki, and Sawamura watch with peaceful smiles, content in the small moment that sorcerer and knight were getting along - even _bonding_. On the other hand, Oikawa stares. He stares with big, round eyes, jaw dropped just a little, and a hand clutching at the fabric over his chest as his heart pounds, sending a blush all over his face.

“I- I think I’m having a heart attack.” He sighs, completely in love as he watches Iwaizumi puts Kuroo back down and try to encourage him to his feet again. Only Sawamura is close enough to hear Oikawa’s wistful sigh, and his expression softens.

“You love him very much.”

“Mhm~. So much that it hurts when I think about our duties to each other… Until my coronation, where I choose a partner, Iwa-chan and I are still a Prince and his Knight. When we’re working, we can’t even show affection to each other.” Iwaizumi laughs as he listens in.

“Don’t listen to him, Sawamura, he’s a filthy _liar_. Oikawa is always showing affection, one way or another~.”

“That’s because you two have a very strange and subtle way of being sickeningly lovey-dovey. We can see it because we’ve known you since forever, but to others it might look more like constipation.”

“Hey!”

“Makki, that’s rude!” Hanamaki sticks his tongue out with a deadpan expression, moving over to Persephone’s side to comb his fingers through her mane. Oikawa reads the maps once more, at least planning their route up to and through Shiratorizawa, via the merchants routes. Once they get to the capital, they can apply for permits to travel other roads or find someone to guide them under supervision, but it’s going to take long time to get there. 

3 days north to get to the merchants gate, and another four or five days to get to the capital of the Shiratori empire. Lucky for them, it was located in the northern segment of the empire, rather than the centre like many other places. Even Seijou’s capital, Aobajousai, was more central that Shiratori’s.

“Okay, so we’ll head to Cobalt caverns to spend the night, and then to Teal town to shop for supplies. We’ll join the merchant’s route at Phthalo, and from there, it’s only a ten minute journey to the merchants gate.”

“Are you planning to spend the night at the Cobalt grotto area?”

“Mhm! We’ll have water to bathe in, woodland to hunt in, and good shelter from bad weather. I know some of the caverns are only flooded in the wet season.” Matsukawa nods in agreement with Oikawa’s judgement. Cobalt caverns is a great place to spend the night, not only because of how safe it is, but because it’s utterly _beautiful_. Little known by anyone except the local towns nearby, it’s a fantastically quiet spot for stargazing. 

More importantly, in Matsukawa’s point of view, it’s ~ _romantic_ ~.  
He very much desires to woo Hanamaki into a little alone time.

Rolling up the maps, they return them to Hanamaki’s haversack as he sits atop Persephone once the horses have been re-saddled, looking pretty as ever. Both of them, that is. Matsukawa almost throws himself _over_ Hades, too busy watching Hanamaki coo at Persephone quietly, a ray of sunshine breaking through the leaves overhead like he’s been singled out by the heavens, a true angel. 

He’s broken out of his thoughts by the sound of horse hooves, as Oikawa and Kronus take the lead. Iwaizumi and Rhea follow, loyally as ever, and Matsukawa clicks his tongue to guide Hades into position too. He has no idea where Sawamura is, until leaves flutter down from the canopy, and he glances up just in time to see a flicker of movement in the sunlight, before it disappears once more. Definitely Sawamura.

“Rhea! No! Bad girl!” Matsukawa’s attention snaps back down just in time to see Iwaizumi leaning forwards in his saddle, trying to snatch a large bundle of shrubbery from Rhea’s mouth. She snorts, jerking her head enough to unbalance him, and the only reason he doesn’t fall off is because his feet are stubbornly jammed in the stirrups. Oikawa drops back to help him upright again.

“Iwa-chan, are you okay?”

“I’m okay, but…” He tugs on the reins, making Rhea step to the side and promptly dismounts to snatch the bush from her jaws, throwing it back into the undergrowth with a disappointed and angry expression. He points directly at Rhea’s snout.

“ _No_. You could choke, you silly horse.” The Merens mare whips her head from side to side, snorting and stomping her hoof. Iwaizumi gently cradles her head, softly stroking down the nose and hushing her gently.

“Don’t be so moody… It’s okay, it’s okay… I’ll find you a nice meal when we stop for the night… Good girl, Rhea, good girl…” His voice soothes her, and she settles quickly, dropping her head as if to apologise. Iwaizumi carefully gets back in the saddle, slowly adjusting himself so he doesn’t set her off again.

“Weird. Persephone throws plenty of tantrums, but I’ve never seen _Rhea_ do it.” Hanamaki’s statement only increases the downwards turn of Iwaizumi’s frown. Leaves explode out from their branch as Sawamura drops down from a tree, hanging upside down like a bat.

“All the more reason to get to Shiratorizawa. They’ll have somewhere there to check her out.” Oikawa watches carefully, just to see if Rhea reacts in any particular way when Iwaizumi guides her back into the line. Small hands suddenly slap against his nearest cheek with angry baby babble. Kuroo’s impatient, since time is of the essence. If they’re even a day late getting to Nekoma, he’ll lose the spell and reveal himself to them in his 19 year old, fully naked glory.

He doesn’t necessarily want to fail Oikawa on such an important task, either. He might not _like_ the young Prince, but he doesn’t dislike him either.

“Okay, okay! Geez, you’re such a pushy brat! We’re going!” He clicks his tongue, snapping the reins and leads his group forwards into a trot. 

Open, rolling fields and a small babbling brook accompany them almost the entire journey, the Prince taking a few moments to wave to farmers from afar, or stop and greet their children. Sawamura has no trees to dart between, instead having to run alongside them. It’s pretty fun, and the villagers they pass seem to find it amusing. One family is particularly excited, and send the travellers on their way with a full meal and bottle of wine for them, in exchange for tales of their journey so far. That’ll make nicely in the evening.

As the sun starts to set, the ground beneath their horses hooves becomes rocky and uneven, moving from marked tracks into Cobalt caverns. The first sign that they’ve really arrived in the area is a large rock with a small opening in, leading down to an underground cave that’s most likely full of water. It’s much too small for them to enter, and exposed to the elements, so they move further into the birch tree woodland. Sawamura is just happy to have his preferred mode of transportation back. Trees.

“We’ll stop here for the night.” The place Oikawa chooses for them to rest is by a large, open pool, the rock eroded away from years of rain. There are others nearby, and one cavern that looks entirely dry on the inside, as well as large and unoccupied. It’s the perfect place for them to bathe and rest. The pool doesn’t look too deep either, until the centre. 

“Oikawa, do you want us to set up a tarp over the cavern entrance?”

“Mhm, just in case there are wild animals around. I wouldn’t mind a rabbit hopping in at midnight, but something like a stag or bear would _not_ be good.” With a laugh, Hanamaki dumps his backpack and haversack in the cavern, stripping off his clothes eagerly to launch himself in the pool whilst Matsukawa pulls a tent out of his own backpack. He can use the tarp from it like a curtain across the cavern entrance.

“Iwaizumi, help me out here.”

“What d’you need?”

“Rocks large enough to weigh it down, on top of the cavern.”

“Sure, I can do that.” Iwaizumi sets about finding rocks large and heavy enough, grunting as he carries them up the steep slope onto the top of the cavern, placing it down over where Matsukawa holds up the tarp. Working together, they manage to get it up long after the others are soaking in the pool, crystal blue waters chilly, but not too cold. It’s just enough to keep them refreshed and awake whilst they clean.

“Coming in!” Matsukawa strips in haste, tossing his clothing to the side as he runs into the pool with the others, splashing them with intentionally large steps. Kuroo sits in a little rock pool on the side, where Oikawa put him to keep him contained, so that he’s safe from drowning in the too-deep pool.

Opposite to Matsukawa, Iwaizumi is much more hesitant to enter the pool. It’s certainly deeper than ankle depth, even at its most shallow point, where it would come up to about his knees. Still, he can’t go without bathing until they get to Shiratorizawa, so he reluctantly removes his trousers and shirt, wading into the water. Oikawa notices out of the corner of his eye and smiles softly, gliding effortlessly through the clear blue water to a point where the water only just covers his hips, and there’s an underwater step that would take him to knee-level. 

“Want me to wash your back?” Iwaizumi nods, slowly crouching down, removing his braies, and sitting on the rocky bottom of the pool. He shakes a little as the water laps at his chest, ripples radiating out from where Hanamaki and Matsukawa have teamed up to try and dunk Sawamura under the water. 

Kuroo laughs and squeals with glee as he watches them, as close to his usual nerdy cackle as he can get with these stupid baby vocal chords. Oikawa quietly exhales a laugh through his nose, murmuring low enough that only Iwaizumi can hear, attempting to distract his knight from the thing he fears most.

“He’s happy~.”

“M-Mhm. I just hope those idiots don’t influence his behaviour.”

“Pfft-. He’s a baby. I’m sure he won’t remember this as he grows up.” Iwaizumi chuckles, the sound a little strained from where he looks down at the water, a darker blue where it’s deeper, and he feels like he’s sinking, _sinking, drowning-_

_“Hajime!” - Ice cold water crushing him and his lungs burning, his hearing muted by the water swallowing him whole and the light above fading-_

“Hajime!” He jerks his head back up to Oikawa, fingers digging into his upper arms and a concerned - almost panicked - face way too close to his.

“... What?” With a sigh of relief, Oikawa moves back, and Iwaizumi realises all the laughing and fooling around has stopped, all eyes on him. There’s a stinging behind his eyes like he’s about to cry, and his chest feels heavy, like he stopped breathing for a moment.

“You freaked out.” Hanamaki steps over closer, the water pushed in Iwaizumi’s direction, and he flinches as it laps over his shoulders. Slowly, Hanamaki sits on the ledge next to him, assisting Oikawa in physically manipulating Iwaizumi to kneel, rather than sit. It gives him a little extra height, so he’s not so submerged.

“You suddenly went really stiff and stopped breathing or responding, just staring at the water.”

“...I thought I was drowning.” There’s an unspoken ‘again’ on the end there, and only Oikawa, Hanamaki, and Matsukawa understand. Kuroo makes a noise of confusion, head tilted with curiosity, but he can’t exactly _speak_ to ask. Lucky for him, there’s someone who is.

“Why are you afraid of water? If you know the cause, you could probably overcome it.” Iwaizumi blinks, remarkably childlike when his eyes widen with a touch of innocence.

“Oh, I’m fully aware _why_ I’m scared of water. Although that makes it worse. I almost drowned back when we were… 8? 9?” 

“9.” He nods at Oikawa as a thanks and continues speaking to Sawamura.

“So I’m not exactly looking to repeat that experience. Usually I can’t go deeper than ankle depth, so I’m pushing it just on this ledge.” Sawamura winces, knowing that he’s hit a nerve.

“I’m sorry.” Iwaizumi barks a laugh, much more content now that the water only comes up to his navel, and he has a friend one side, boyfriend in front of him to catch him if he falls.

“No problem~. I’d rather admit it now than have something unpleasant happen later on.” Oikawa understands. There’s always the chance they could encounter flooding, iced over lakes, rivers without bridges, or swirling rapids. Water is everywhere, and there’s a chance they’ll run into trouble with it further on in their journey. 

With the trouble over for now, Iwaizumi and Kuroo retire first, disappearing inside the cavern to set up the sleeping bags - or crawl around in barely clothed freedom. Sawamura goes to look for firewood, and something to hunt. As the sun tips beyond the horizon in one last bright flare, Oikawa decides his long, indulgent soak should come to an end, the pads of his fingers looking more raisin than human.

Hanamaki and Matsukawa are still lounging around on the rock surfaces nearby, occasionally dipping back into the water when the clammy dryness gets irritating. Darkness falls, and Sawamura returns from his hunt unsuccessful. They’ll have to cope with the nuts and fruits gathered throughout the day, plus the meal the farmers gave them earlier. (It’s not enough for 5 people and a baby, but splitting it up and adding bits on should do fine.)

“... I would suggest putting some clothes on. The midges and mosquitoes will be out in their thousands soon.” Hanamaki rolls onto his front, chin propped up in his hands, and a sly grin in place.

“Worry not, we have that covered!” Sawamura raises an eyebrow with an expression that means he doesn’t really want to know… But he probably should in case something goes terribly wrong. Even in the very short time he’s been with the group, he can tell Hanamaki is the one with the wildest ideas, and Matsukawa will just let him do it and laugh at the aftermath.

“We have _cinnamon_.”

“Cinnamon.”

“Yup! All we have to do is burn it, wave it around, and goodbye biting insects!” Deadpan, Sawamura waves a hand at all the birch trees around, and Hanamaki’s face forms an ‘O’. Waving burning things around near vegetation might not be the best idea… Matsukawa, as predicted, laughs and pats Hanamaki’s back awkwardly, careful not to knock off the rags they’ve wrapped around themselves like towels.

“Why don’t we just put the cinnamon in a dish? We can burn it on that and wave the _smoke_ around~.”

“Issei, you genius! I love you!”

“I know~.” A pause of silence, where Hanamaki waits expectantly, sliding an offended gaze to a grinning Matsukawa when nothing fills it. Matsukawa laughs at the expression, tugging Hanamaki in for a brief kiss on the lips.

“I love you too, you massive dork.” He pressed their lips lightly together again, and Hanamaki muttered into it;

“You’d better.” And that’s the point where Matsukawa snatches the towel away, pushing Hanamaki off the rock and into the pool again, Hanamaki shrieking as he impacts the water, and Matsukawa bursts into laughter.

“Issei, you fucking-!”

“Shh!” They cut themselves off, whipping their head in questioning to where Sawamura crouches at the cavern, the tarp pulled back as he looks in, but still has a finger over his mouth to gesture for the other two to be silent. As soon as they shut their mouths, he waves them over, and there’s no hesitation as Matsukawa and Hanamaki make sure they’re covered, and hustle over to peer in over Sawamura’s shoulders.

“ _Oh my god_.” Near the back of the cavern, illuminated by a lantern in their sleep, Iwaizumi lays flat on his back with his sleeping bag open, and arms partly out to the side. Oikawa cuddles up to him on his side, head resting on Iwaizumi’s shoulder and hand flat on his chest, his other arm vanishing under Iwaizumi’s back. Kuroo is sprawled out on his front, legs and arms spread as far as they can, using Iwaizumi’s upper arm as his pillow, undeniably drooling over the bicep. The cutest part is that Iwaizumi’s arms wrap around them, hugging them close as if protecting his little family.

“That- That’s _adorable_.” Sawamura chuckles under his breath.

“I guess we should get to sleep too. If Oikawa wants us to get to Teal Town tomorrow, we’re going to really have to push the limits.” Matsukawa whacks Sawamura on the back in a friendly manner.

“You go ahead. We’ll check on the horses, get them settled.”

“Alright. Don’t be too late.” With a yawn, Sawamura slips inside the Cavern, locating his own spot to rest. Since he doesn’t have a sleeping bag packed, he sits against the stone wall with his arms and legs crossed, chin against his chest as he falls into a light doze. It deepens when he doesn’t hear any trouble from outside.

Hanamaki brushes through Persephone’s mane, lavishing her with love and attention as Rhea eats the bucket of food they put down, Kronus occasionally nosing in before returning to the water bucket. When Hades tries to steal a bit of food, Rhea snorts at him, warning him off. Matsukawa huffs a laugh as he pats Hades down.

“Better luck next time, bud.” The horse nudges his hip, as if demanding feed of his own, and Matsukawa gently pushes his head away.

“Yes, yes! In a minute! Let me brush you first.” Persephone stomps a hoof. Hanamaki had stopped brushing her for a moment, instead leaning against her, arm slung over her back as he watched Matsukawa interact with Hades, his heart as soft and gooey as his eyes, probably. 

The stomp snaps him out of it and he blushes a little, brushing through her mane with his eyes flickering back to Matsukawa. Their gazes meet, and his blush deepens as he quickly looks down at his hands, plaiting Persephone’s mane to keep himself busy.

“Ta-ka-hi-ro~.” When he peers up again, he swallows a bashful yelp, Matsukawa right in his face and grinning handsomely from where he leans over Persephone’s back. He softly chuckles, and he quietens, reaches a hand over and gentle tilts Hanamaki’s bright, blushing face up, crinkles around the corners of his eyes as he smiles. 

It might be dark, but passing fireflies pulse with just enough light to see the details of Hanamaki’s face - including the shy splattering of freckles on his cheekbones.

“You’re so beautiful…”

“I-Issei, stop making me blush!”

“But you really are.” Flustered, Hanamaki goes up onto tip-toes, brushing their lips together in a sweet, chaste kiss. Before he can do it again - because Matsukawa looks _adorable_ caught off guard - he yawns.

“We should probably go to bed. You look ready to collapse where you stand.” Matsukawa walks around Persephone, heading towards the cavern where their sleeping bags are, when a hand grabs his sleeve and tugs him back. Hanamaki wears a cheeky grin, one that promises something good.

“Hold on, I wanna show you something first.”

“ _Something_?”

“Okay, more like some _where_ , but I found it earlier and thought it’d be perfect at night.” He tugs Matsukawa along until he follows independently, linking their hands together. With childlike excitement, Hanamaki drops onto his knees in front of a small opening in what looks like a tiny rock, and shimmies in on his front. His head pops out the gap once he’s inside, and it must be deep because he’s _standing_.

“C’mon, c’mon! Squeeze in!”

“Hanamaki Takahiro, I love you with all my heart, but what on _earth_ gave you the idea to even _**try**_ slipping in there?”

“I have my reasons.”

“... Which are?”

“I’m an adventurous soul! I see a small space, I’m gonna shimmy in!” Matsukawa shakes his head with an amused laugh, scooting onto his butt and then squirming in the same way Hanamaki did. The second his feet touch the soft soil inside this secret cave, he looks around in awe.

The part they’re standing on is highest, and the soil dips down at the back of the cave just enough for a small pond, deep enough to retain its crystal blue colour, small enough that there’s room for the two of them to comfortably lay down. There’s a rounded hole in the ceiling of the cave, above the pond, and from here, Matsukawa can glimpse the moon, casting a gentle light onto the surface of the water. A single vine hangs down from the ceiling hole, a lone but stunning lilac wisteria blossoming in the moonlight.

“It’s beautiful…”

“Romantic, riiiight~?” Hanamaki wiggles his eyebrows suggestively, with a playful grin. Matsukawa just laughs and knocks his knuckles against Hanamaki’s shoulder, moving to sit in the soft, sandy soil.

“I guess we can spend a few minutes here before bed.” He lies down, a sparse patch of grass as his pillow, folding his arms over his stomach. Hanamaki lies down next to him, propped up a little so he’s watching the pond, rather than the fireflies and ray of moonlight Matsukawa focuses on. He can just about make out a few stars too.

“Hey, Issei. Watch this.”

“Hm?” He lifts his head up enough, chin against his chest, and notices the pebble in Hanamaki’s hand. He chucks it into the centre of the pond, sending ripples outwards. 

But that’s not all it does. With the light of the moon and stars reflecting off the pond, the ripples send blue shapes and waves dancing on the walls of the cave. The refracted beams of light are uninterrupted by the texture and ridges of the cave walls, striking electric blue against a darker blue background, the light bringing out little gleaming specks in the rock, like the stars but iridescent in colour.

“Woah…” The dancing ripples of light twirl over and around Matsukawa in a way that mesmerises Hanamaki more than the ones on the walls of the cave could. He’s just… _Phenomenal_. As the ripples die down, Matsukawa turns to his boyfriend with eyes soft and full of life, a smile as peaceful as a sunset, and love glowing on his skin.

“Bedtime?”

“Only if I dream of you.” Matsukawa snorts with laughter and cranes over, resting his forehead against Hanamaki’s collarbone as his shoulders shake.

“Takahiro, you’re going to give me heart failure one of these days~.”

“Or diabetes, because I’m so sweet.”

“Or crushed by your big head.” 

“Hey!” Matsukawa laughs again, a deep, musical chuckle that spreads warmth all throughout Hanamaki. He’s so in love. He’s drowning in love and he’ll happily sink as far as he can go, if there even is a bottom. A yawn breaks through his thoughts, and contagious as yawns are, Matsukawa’s laughter ends too. He humms pleasantly and shuffles down to rest his head on Hanamaki’s shoulder.

“Night, ‘Hiro.”

“Wait, what? Issei, we can’t sleep here! Issei! ….Issei?” A fake, rumbling snore. Hanamaki rolls his eyes, shoving his free hand at Matsukawa.

“Get up, we’re going to join the others. I’m not freezing my ass off out here without a sleeping bag.”

“Bring the sleeping bags over?”

“No.” Hanamaki smirks as Matsukawa pouts up at him, ever adorable when he’s tired. Heaving himself up with strong arms - wrestling Iwaizumi gives him benefits, even if he always loses - he squeezes back out the gap he slid in. He gives Matsukawa a hand up, and then they both stumble into the cavern, flopping into the nearest empty sleeping bags and cuddling up tight together as they close their eyes.

Matsukawa’s breath evens out first, and just before Hanamaki drifts off, he’s pretty sure he hears Oikawa twitching in his sleep. That would be annoying, if he wasn’t exhausted enough to pass out.

Sleep claims him quickly, the night fading into dawn.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Fun trivia!  
> The places in Seijou are named after shades of blue!  
> The horses are named after Greek mythology!  
> Carnglaze Caverns was the inspiration for the Matsuhana moment. Check it out because it's beautiful!
> 
> Next chapter: Into a new country! The Empire of Shiratori awaits, and the adventurers visit the capital, Shiratorizawa! (You can already sense Oikawa's distaste through the fictional universe.)
> 
> Please kudos and comment~!


	3. The canyon of Shiratori Empire.

Three days.   
In _three days_ , neither Matsukawa, Hanamaki, or Sawamura have managed to get Iwaizumi alone to tell him the truth about Kuroo. They knew beforehand that he always stuck by the side of the Prince, but now he’s urgently needed alone, they’re starting to realise how ridiculously _glued_ to his side Iwaizumi is.

On the plus side, they’ve made it to the border, the merchant’s gate looming up ahead. The trip to teal town had seen them decked out in snowy gear, because three days travelling north meant the climate had changed _dramatically_. 

Not only that, but the merchants route diverted even further north before descending into the capital, so they would have to pass through a valley that was continuously embedded in frost and ice and filled with blustering winds. Their shopping trip had been very well planned.

“So… We _will_ be allowed into the country, right?”

“Of course, Makki. By law, they can’t obstruct peaceful quests, even by a Prince of a neighbouring country. We may have to stay in the village just inside the gate under supervision until we get royal permission, but we’ll get through all the same.”

“Don’t forget to mention this is one of your 3 Trials.” 

“Oh, yeah. I forgot that.” Iwaizumi almost sighs in exasperation, thankful he reminded Oikawa of that one, _tiny_ detail. Obstructing a quest is already unlawful, but obstructing a _**Trial**_? 

That’s grounds for war, since it technically interferes with the politics and ruling of an independant country. If Shiratori doesn’t allow them into the empire, Seijou can very legally attack in response. 

“Next!” The line shuffles forwards, the Prince and his entourage moving closer towards the front surrounded by the caravans and wagons that merchants use. Some are pulled by horses, others by ox, and there’s even a few individuals with donkeys, their small goods loaded up on the animal.

“Heads up, we’re next.” Sawamura steps up to the guards first, displaying a small scroll from inside his shirt. Instantly, the guards welcome him like an old friend, pats on the back and an inside joke that has them all laughing, before waving him through without any trouble whatsoever. Whilst the entourage gawps at how easily Sawamura passed through, the guards turn back to them with hardened gazes.

“What business does Seijou have with Shiratori?” Respectfully, to show that he isn’t a threat, Oikawa dismounts Kronus and takes off the belt his dagger sheaths are attached to, throwing it towards Iwaizumi to catch. He holds his hands up in surrender.

“We’re passing through on our way to Nekoma to return _this guy_ -” He jostles the sling, making Kuroo grunt and try to hit him in return.

“-back to his parents. It’s one of my Three Trials.” Instantly, the guards stand to attention, fumbling as they bow deep at the waist.

“Our apologies! Please, proceed right through! We’ll send a message to the King explaining your presence! If you wait by the Plover Inn, we should have a reply shortly!” The shorter of the guards scrambles to send off a scroll in the messenger compartment tagged onto and eagles foot, the bird soaring off as Prince Oikawa, ‘baby’ Sorcerer Kuroo, Knight Iwaizumi, and Royal Guards Hanamaki and Matsukawa enter the gate on horseback.

Sawamura waits for them outside Plover Inn, casually leaning against the wall with one foot on the brickwork. He shoots them a smug grin as Hanamaki practically throws himself off Persephone and runs over to him, shaking him by the shoulders.

“What’s your secret?!”

“Huh?! Wha-?”

“Hanamaki, leave the poor man alone!” At Iwaizumi’s barked command, Hanamaki releases Sawamura and drops him to the cobblestone floor. Sheepishly, he laughs and helps Sawamura to his feet, brushing off the dirt.

“Seriously though, how’d you get so friendly with the Shiratori guards? What did you _show_ them?”

“A secret.” The teasing, mischievous tone only incites Hanamaki’s curiosity further.

“What kind of secret?”

“A secret secret~.” Groaning in frustration, Hanamaki throws his hands up and stomps back to Persephone. Oikawa laughs at his misfortune, and Iwaizumi pinches the bridge of his nose as Matsukawa murmurs a half-teasing _“Don’t mind~.”_.

“Can we at least go inside or not?”

“I’m not sure… I mean, it should be obvious enough if we leave the horses outside, but… I don’t want to risk it.” Oikawa look upwards as he speaks, noting the fluffy grey clouds, that look ready to burst. Just as Oikawa is trying to deduce whether it could be a light outburst or full on downpour, something floats gently down from the sky. He cups his hands to catch it, thinking it might be a stray blossom like the ones in Aobajousai courtyard, but when it hits his hands…

It melts. His eyes widen, pupils full blown as he stares at the tiny puddle in his hands, skin tingling from the chill of it. He’s heard of snow, in tales and lore, but he’s never actually _seen_ it. He gasps and looks up again, a flurry of white floating down towards them and he feels his smile grow to almost painful lengths, genuine and bright.

“Iwa-chan, Makki, Mattsun! Look! It’s _snow_! Snow!!!” His voice squeaks at the end in pure excitement, drawing affectionate laughs from them. 

That’s not to say they aren’t amazed either, and as the snow falls around them, they stare captivated into the flurry. Sawamura and Kuroo aren’t surprised by the snow at all, both having seen it in their lifetimes. But Kuroo still reaches out a tiny hand, because it’s uncommon in his country.

“There’s a lot more snow up ahead.”

“Really~?!”

“I wouldn’t get that excited~... It gets a little overbearing at times, especially in Dovekie canyon. That’s the valley we’ll be travelling through.”

“Overbearing? How? It’s a little cold, but it’s fluffy and cute!”

“... You’ve got a big surprise coming.” Oikawa casts a doubtful look at Sawamura, but only a glimpse before he turns his gaze skyward again. Hanamaki is entertaining himself by trying to catch snowflakes on his tongue, sticking it out with his mouth open like a child. Matsukawa dismounts Hades and sits on a bench, catching them in his hands and watching them melt on his skin.

Iwaizumi, on the other hand.

Oh, Iwaizumi. He’d wedged himself between Rhea and Kronus, holding their reins in one hand to keep them as close as possible, the other clutching tightly to the front of his thick coat, the hood lined with fur pulled up to cover his ears and most of his face. He scowls beneath the coat, eyes narrowed as his cheeks and ears light up red with the cold. He’s never been very good in the cold.

“Please. Can we. Go. _Inside_.” Sawamura chuckles under his breath as he catches the impatient growl, before he realises something. If he and Iwaizumi go inside, but Oikawa stays out here… He can tell Iwaizumi the truth about Kuroo!

“We don’t all need to stay out here. Why don’t we warm up inside whilst the others wait?”

“That’s a great idea. Oikawa! Sawamura and I are going inside!”

“Okay, but don’t drink anything. We still have a ways to go, and I know what you’re like with alcohol…” Iwaizumi grumbles and tugs the hood tighter around himself, hiding the blush on his face. Because Oikawa is entirely right. 

The first time they drank - at Oikawa’s 18th - Iwaizumi had only had two glasses before he started challenging people to fights, then slumped unconscious just outside the main hall. Surprisingly, Oikawa had held his alcohol well for his first time. Now, a year later, Oikawa could drink every single one of them under the table, but especially Iwaizumi who had definitely not improved.

(Hanamaki delighted that he finally beat Iwaizumi at something.)

“Mama, Mama, look! A hawk!”

“No, Ugawa, that’s an eagle.” Oikawa turns his attention to a nearby mother and daughter, following the line of where the daughter points. Sure enough, the eagle with rare dalmatian patterning, a well-known messenger for the royals of Shiratori, is soaring towards the guards of this merchant gate. 

Hanamaki and Matsukawa groan with frustration, their chance to inform Iwaizumi of the situation lost.   
Gone.   
Vamooshed.

“Never mind then. Let’s see what Emperor Washijou has to say.” Sawamura silently sighs as Iwaizumi returns to Oikawa’s side, where he always is. Missed their chance, again.

“Prince Oikawa!” The small messenger boy comes running over again, holding a parchment scroll tried with a string of maroon silken ribbon. He almost trips over a prominent stone, straight into a puddle of manure, but thankfully recovers his balance as he stumbles over.

“F-From His Majesty, Emperor Washijou of Shiratori Empire!” Matsukawa snickers as Oikawa takes the scroll and fumbles with the knot.

“Who wants to bet it just says ‘Get out of my country’, or something along those lines?”

“In all capital letters, of course. He’s a very shouty man.”

“Hanamaki, show some respect! He’s a _King_ , not one of our friends!”

“So, Iwaizumi’s betting against… Sawamura, you for or against?” Iwaizumi sharply glares at Matsukawa as he scribbles something down on a scrap resembling parchment. The leader of Karasuno humms, rubbing his chin in thought.

“I would say for… But Oikawa’s ashen expression makes me think it might be worse.” The other three whip their heads to Oikawa, and as Sawamura said, his complexion is drained of blood as he stares at the unrolled scroll in horror.

“Oikawa? … Tooru?” Softly, Iwaizumi presses his fingertips to Oikawa’s shoulder through his own thick, grey coat, and that seems to jolt him out of shock. He takes a deep breath, having forgotten to breathe. Then, the rambling starts.

“Oh no. Oh nonono no _no_. Fucking _hell, **no**_.”

“What’s wrong? Has he _refused_ our entry into the country, even for your Trial?” Oikawa horsely whispers;

“No. Worse.” Frustrated with the tension and lack of detail, Iwaizumi snatches the parchment from Oikawa and reads it aloud, his voice trailing off and face paling in the same way Oikawa’s did.

“Your travels in our empire will be tolerated on the grounds you use the merchants route until the Capital. … My son, Ushi… Jima… Will be…” Iwaizumi almost crumples the letter in his fist, shoving it towards Sawamura to finish reading. Both Oikawa and Iwaizumi look a mix of frozen in shock and _furious_. 

Just at the mention of Ushijima, Hanamaki and Matsukawa share a concerned glance. This can _not_ end well. Sawamura catches up to where they were in the scroll.

“My son Ushijima will be joining your entourage at Puffin Rock, and escorting you across the Empire. Should you travel without his companionship, I shall consider it an invasion. He will travel with you as far as necessary as part of his second Trial. Any interference will result in war on Aobajousai.” Rolling up the scroll, Sawamura shrugs.

“I don’t see what’s wrong with that. Prince Ushijima joining us can’t be _that_ bad.”

“Speak for yourself!” Oikawa looks ready to shred the scroll with his teeth, maybe feed it to Kuroo, since babies eat everything. Or, more violently, skip Dovekie Canyon and head straight to Puffin Rock to stab the Shiratori Prince multiple times with his daggers.

“He tried to propose to me! In the courtyard! When I’d already told him I was interested in someone else!” Iwaizumi nods his head in agreement at the anger in Oikawa’s voice, and Sawamura sighs, resisting the urge to pinch the bridge of his nose.

“You realise he was probably acting under his father’s orders, right? Not every King or Emperor or Chief is as lenient as King Irihata.”

“... I had thought of that. But it doesn’t explain why he chose the courtyard instead of the banquet hall. All my friends saw!” 

“If you _knew_ you were going to get rejected, would you rather it be in front of commoners doing their work, or nobles and royals paying attention only to you?”

“Okay, _that_ , I hadn’t thought of. Don’t look so smug, Sawa-chan, even I have my flaws.” Sawamura laughs at that, waving off his concerns with a brush of the hand. He passes the Emperors scroll back to the gate guard, so their agreement can be sent in reply.

“I know it’s only midday, but we have a… Little problem.” From where he’s reading an information board on the side of Plover Inn, Matsukawa sounds troubled.

“Issei, what’s wrong?” He takes a deep breath for bravery, and turns to the others with solemn eyes.

“If we left now, we’d be in the dead of the canyon in the middle of the night.” A moment of silence. Hanamaki runs a hand through his hair.

“We have plenty of money, so we could stay here… But that would chance being late to meet Prince Ushijima.”

“Ushiwaka can fucking wait.” Iwaizumi snorts in amusement at Oikawa’s bitter tone, Ushijima’s nickname spat like venom from his lips. He muffles the sound in his long sleeve as Sawamura raises a disapproving eyebrow, like he’s their _dad_ , or something. On the other hand, Kuroo finds it hilarious, laughing and cackling in the new, fluffier, softer and warmer baby sling.

He had the pleasure of meeting Ushijima on his way here, giving the Empire Prince _his_ first Trial, one of mind, which the Prince had passed with a little encouragement from his friends and family. He was smart, but it seemed difficult for him to think outside the box. 

Kuroo’s stopover hadn’t been long, so he doubted Ushijima would recognise him in this infant state, if he took everything at face value. He wondered if this would become another situation like the one with Iwaizumi.

“I’m not sure how long he’d wait before deciding we had strayed from the Merchant’s trail.”

“Well… We made it through Nightshade Woods, we can make it through some canyon valley type thing.” Matsukawa and Hanamaki share a glance, a grin, and make their way back onto their saddles. Sawamura stares at them like they’re _insane_ , exhaustion leaking into his expression.

“I cannot express how much of a bad- no, _terrible_ idea this is.”

“Wrap up, Sawa-chan! We’re going night time canyon travelling!”

Sawamura, for as much as he tried to convince Oikawa to change his mind, finds himself staring down the entrance of the canyon not even two hours later. He sighs, dragging his hand down his face, as you do when travelling with 4 goons and one Knight too whipped by one of the goons to complain. Something tells Sawamura he should have sent Sugawara to keep them in line instead.

“Well, let’s go!” A vein twitching in his forehead, Sawamura manages to grab Kronus’s reins before Oikawa can put him into a trot.

“Hold on! First of all, make sure your extremities are covered. Ears, fingers, noses, and toes. Secondly, put Kuroo _inside_ your coat. It’s going to be far too cold for him, since he’s a baby. Last but not least, make sure your sleeping bags and fire-making supplies are near the top of your backpacks. We’re going to have to stop at least once.”

“Sawamura’s got a point. We should make sure we have our drinks handy too.” He nods at Iwaizumi’s statement, sending Hanamaki and Oikawa scrambling to fix their drinks to belts inside the thick, warm trousers they have. 

Matsukawa keeps his flask on his hip anyways, since it has a small alcoholic content to keep it from freezing. He’s set, and Iwaizumi has already prepared after hearing what the canyon is like from Sawamura.

He can’t help but feel like he’s underestimating it though, as he stares up at the looming canyon 4 hours of travelling later, carved out by glaciers millions of years ago, the rocky sides still covered with a light frost. 

He can just make out wisps of grey clouds that undoubtedly thicken as they move further into the canyon. The chill that blasts out at them, even from outside the canyon walls, promises a permanent winter ahead.

“... Give us the word when you’re ready, Oikawa.” The prince takes a deep breath that burns his lungs, exhaling in a swirling cloud of white. Kuroo would swat it away, if his arms weren’t restrained from where he’s trapped in Oikawa’s clothing defense against the cold. Instead, he can only grumble and glare. 

Oikawa opens his eyes slowly, not realising he’d closed them, feeling the snowflakes stick to his eyelashes.

“Let’s go.” The further they travel inwards, the more the snow on the ground thickens, but there’s still a trail from where wagons and other travellers continuously walk, lined with slush, but for the most part, melted to expose rock underneath. Their horses hooves echo against the canyon walls, a faint clip-clop that’s equally soothing and eerie. 

“Can- Can you hear that too, or am I going crazy?” 7 minutes in, the canyon walls loomed over them, seemingly leaning towards each other so that only a thin strip of sky could be seen, squinting through the mist. Matsukawa looks around suspiciously at the strange noise he can hear.

It’s like a vibrating squeak, reverberating off the canyon walls, high pitched like laugher but more… Goat-like. Occasionally, it stops, only the echo of mist and wind to be heard. His confusion is palpable, and Sawamura chuckles.

“Those are the Dovekie this canyon is named for.”

“Wait, they’re actually a thing?”

“Mhm! A small bird that nest on the sheer walls of these cliffs.” Matsukawa turns his gaze skyward, trying to spot one as it swoops through the water vapour swirling above them, light flakes of snow still falling upon them. All he catches is a flicker of a shadow as the Dovekie vanishes into the cliffside.

“Incredible…” Oikawa huffs in amusement at the awe in Matsukawa’s voice. What’s so great about canyon birds? They have majestic beasts like deer and wild boar in the forests of Seijou. Great for watching, and for eating. What bird could measure up to that?

“H-Hey!” Hanamaki ducks as something swoops at him, fluttering in his ear before there’s a pinprick of pain, and the Dovekie flies off again. He stares at absolutely nothing for a couple of seconds in disbelief as it sinks in.

“That… That thing just plucked my hair...” Sawamura laughs a little harder.

“I guess you’re part of a nest now! You should take pride in that.” Hanamaki’s eyes absolutely glow, like he’s _thrilled_.

“That makes me honourary bird papa… Issei, we’re parents!” 

“I love you, ‘Hiro, but no.”

“Aww… You ruin all my fun.” Chuckling, Matsukawa pulls Hades back a little bit to fall alongside Persephone, and leans over to press a soft kiss on the cheek Hanamaki has puffed out in irritation.

“Maybe we’ll adopt one day.” Sparkling eyes turn to him, blazing with hope and watering with happy tears. Sawamura smiles softly, speeding up to walk alongside Iwaizumi instead, leaving Matsukawa and Hanamaki to their private conversation. Rhea turns to look at him, snorting.

“Hey, girl.” She whips her head away, shaking her mane, and consequently almost shaking Iwaizumi out of the saddle. Luckily, the knight manages to hold on. He’s handled and managed the training of disobedient horses before, intervening if the stablehands are in any danger. If he could handle Persephone at her worst, just enough to stay on her back and wrestle her into a paddock, he can deal with Rhea shaking out.

“Sorry, Sawamura, I don’t think she’s in a talking mood.”

“You sure I don’t just smell, or something?” Iwaizumi barks a laugh, shaking his head slowly in disagreement.

“I can’t tell from up here, but maybe so!” The tease has them both snickering, until Oikawa suddenly holds up a hand to call for silence, pulling Kronus to a halt. Sawamura tugs his material mask up to cover his mouth and nose, pulling his hood over to hide the rest of his face sans his eyes. He too, like Oikawa, can sense something coming their way. He crouches down, pressing his fingertips to the ground.

“One wagon. Three bull. One horse. No people on foot. Rapidly approaching, it’ll be here in about 12 seconds. 11… 10…” The group move to the side, making room as a wagon pulled by three bulls in a triangle formation _thunders_ past, the people on board shouting and screaming for anyone they pass to run because _“it’s coming!”_ , their horse hurtling past them with a frightened neigh.

Oikawa doesn’t know what ‘it’ is, until he spots a mass of black swirling in the fog, accompanied by the shriek of _thousands_ of Dovekies, their wing beats sounding like the boom of a war drum, their battle cry growing as more and more of them amass, pouring from the cliffsides like the canyon is made of birds instead of rock.

Kuroo, who had whimpered as the wagon passed them, bursts into tears of agony. It’s the same pain he felt in Nightshade Woods, but so much more _intense_ , and dangerous, and powerful. There’s evil nearby, and he’s willing to bet it’s whatever is making the Dovekies swarm to attack.

“Takahiro!” Matsukawa sounds _scared_ , voice pitching up as Hanamaki gasps in pain and falls from Persephone’s back.

“I- I’m okay! Ow! It just- Just hurts!” He grips at his chest, his heart feeling like it’s being squeezed and his lungs burning like they’re going to explode. Everything _hurts_ , and he looks drastically around for something - anything - that could be infected like the soulshard crystal of Nightshade Woods. He doesn’t have time to properly analyse it before the swarm peaks in a tornado, and comes _straight for them_.

“Run! Underneath them!” Oikawa knows they can’t afford to have their path blocked, especially not by _birds_. If there is one thing Oikawa Tooru will **not** fall to, it’s birds. 

Hanamaki scrambles back to Persephone, firmly rooting himself in the saddle and making sure his feet are in the stirrups. Matsukawa and Hades are only trotting, having waited for him, but as soon as he and Persephone blaze forwards in a gallop, the other two follow them.

“Can you purify them at all?!”

“I- I’m not sure! I can’t see what’s causing this, although I feel it nearby!” He looks up. The Dovekies continue to gather together en masse, swirling forever in their tornado like a buzzing, shrieking cloud of black and white. 

The ones that lunged at them in attack retreat back into the tornado like a limb, whilst Hanamaki spots others breaking off from the main funnel to build their own ball, and he quickly realises they’re about to be hit again. Not just that. They’re _aiming_ for something. Some _one_.

“Iwaizumi, sword!” Acting on pure instinct and reacting to the command, Iwaizumi pulls his nodachi from its sheath, holding it so the hilt knocks away the birds as they lunge for him. But there’s too many, and even Iwaizumi can’t shield himself from all those. The force of all the Dovekies pushing against him throws him off Rhea, thudding into snow covered pebbles at the foot of the canyon wall.

“ _Iwa-chan_!” Furious, Oikawa circles around and jumps from Kronus, arming himself with his twin daggers and a frightening scowl, fully prepared to _kill_ to protect his knight and boyfriend. Iwaizumi is of course displeased by his self-sacrificing behaviour.

“Oikawa, get Kuroo out of here! We’ll deal with the birds!” 

“I can fight too!”

“You have a baby to care for, dumbass! Get out of here!” Logic wins over, and with a snarl of frustration, Oikawa grabs Kronus’s reins and makes a run for it, swinging his leg up on the horse in motion and easily mounting with grace and elegance only a Prince could have. Iwaizumi exhales shakily, pushing himself off the canyon wall to stand. There’s a small cut on his cheek from a Dovekie beak that’s going to scar.

“What now?” Partially terrified, and breathless from his ache, Hanamaki stammers as he stares up at the Dovekie tornado with wide eyes.

“I- I don’t know…”

“Is the thing causing this _inside_ there, ‘Hiro?” Hanamaki nods at Matsukawa’s question, and thick eyebrows furrow together.

“Then we need to scatter them to get to the centre.”

“Look out, there’s another one coming!” Sawamura’s shout alert them all to the growing ball formation near the top of the birdnado, and they exchange glances with a nod at the same time Iwaizumi mounts Rhea. 

They dart in different directions, spread out evenly around the birdnado. Then, they move in the _opposite_ direction, hollering nonsense at the Dovekies to confuse them and scatter their attention.

Hanamaki’s keen eyes scan through the Dovekies as they move irregularly, stopping the swarm from spinning. As the birds spread and leave gaps, he spots it. Right in the centre, there’s a Dovekie _skeleton_ , too small to be an adult. It must have been a chick that starved or fell from its nest. 

The pang of pity he feels is erased by the way his stomach twists at the same time as his heart clenches. He almost forgets to breathe.

“I- Issei! In the centre! Near the top! I can’t get a clear shot!”

“No worries, I gotcha babe!” Matsukawa throws his glaive. His polearm glaive, an irreplaceable weapon he’s had since the days of training, and he just- just _lobs_ it into the swarm. The Dovekies part to avoid it, and that’s when Hanamaki draws his arrow, releases the string, and watches the arrow streaked in gold sparkles, glowing yellow, hit its target with no mistakes.

The skeleton freezes. Yellow glow travels along the bones, consuming it slowly and erasing the lime green smoke and indigo stains in a series of gold bubbles, like little hiccups. The glow spreads like fractures, and the skeleton shatters.

“Rest in peace, little guy…” Hanamaki’s whisper goes unheard over the chirping of many dazed Dovekie, trying to remember where their homes are on the sheer cliffs of the canyon. All that spinning in circles probably hasn’t done them any good. 

Not that Sawamura is any better off, having been running and spinning on his own two feet instead of on a horse. He stumbles in a wavy line until he promptly leans against Hades, much to Matsukawa’s amusement.

“You okay there?” 

“Yup. Yeah, I’m good, I’m good. Jus- Just give me a minute.” Iwaizumi snorts as he comes over, sliding from Rhea’s back gracefully. He jerks his thumb towards the saddle.

“Get on there. I can run alongside for a while~.”

“Are you sure?” He nods, and gives Sawamura a foot up to get on Rhea’s back. Whilst he has vast knowledge of horses and gets along with them really well, he does seem a little hesitant about actually _riding_ a horse. 

Luckily, Rhea is gentle, patient, and sweet. She’s probably the best horse to start riding on. To help Sawamura get used to it, Iwaizumi walks Rhea around by the reins in a circle.

“Nice, you’ve got a good posture.”

“I’ve spent a while watching you four. Posture is probably… The only thing I remember.” Hanamaki chuckles as he clicks his tongue and rides Persephone over, going _backwards_ just to show off.

“You’ll be riding like a pro soon! Iwaizumi trained up one of our stablehands and a few of the younger guards, so there’s no problem with him teaching you too~.” 

“I think I’m happier with my feet on the ground.” They increase to a trot, and instead of continuing around in another circle, start down the canyon in the direction Oikawa fled to protect Kuroo from the Dovekie attack. It doesn’t take them long to reach what looks like an encampment. Just in time, too, since it’s getting late in the day.

“Iwa-chan, Makki, Mattsun, Sawa-chan! Over here!” It’s not hard to spot Oikawa, standing at the edge of camp near a large tent with a firepit, Kronus roped up to a wooden pole with horses and animals that belong to the merchants travelling this canyon too.

Oikawa’s warm breath swirls in front of him in a cloud of condensation, showing his beaming grin between puffs. He waves with his arm right in the air, bright wooly gloves - or more appropriately, mittens - both an eyesore and extremely eye-catching. Even if they hadn’t seen him at first, that mitten would have definitely let them find him quickly.

“Hello again, Oikawa.” Iwaizumi’s tone carries nothing but affection, and he opens his arms for Oikawa to slide into willingly. He notices the snowflakes on Oikawa’s eyelashes before he feels warm, comfortable breath over his face. He closes his eyes, gets ready for a kiss, and then-

At the last second, Oikawa shies away and instead kisses the tip of his nose. Iwaizumi sighs with a hint of disappointment, but it quickly turns into a smile when Oikawa squishes his cheeks between his hands and adorns each one with plenty of butterfly-light kisses.

He’s slightly relived their first kiss wasn’t - and hopefully won’t be - in a canyon in Shiratori Empire, filled with hundreds of birds pooping everywhere.

“Think we should settle in for the night?”

“Mhm. Sawamura said it would get a lot colder overnight.” Oikawa shudders and hunkers down into himself, like he could curl up around his stomach. That is, if it wasn’t for Kuroo tucked into his coat.

“ _Colder_? I’m already frozen!” Iwaizumi grumbles. Kuroo grouchily shouts, waving a tiny fist around once he’s wrestled it from Oikawa’s coat. He’s trying to make a point that if anyone should complain, it’s him, but neither Iwaizumi nor Oikawa understand because they don’t know he’s secretly the same age as them.

“Keep your hands in there, you devious little shit! You’ll get frostbite!” Oikawa stuffs Kuroo’s hand sternly back into his coat, whilst Iwaizumi gives him _a look_ for swearing at the ‘baby’.

“Guys, we’ve set the tents up!”

“ _I_ set the tents up. ‘Hiro just burnt himself trying to start a fire.”

“I did my best, but it was not enough.” Iwaizumi snickers, tugging the zipper up on Oikawa’s coat to make sure Kuroo is snug and secure, before turning around to investigate Hanamaki’s burn. He gently turns his hand over multiple times, investigating with rough fingertips.

“It’s not that bad. Put it in some snow, wrap it, and we’ll keep an eye on it. But I think this should heal up without scars.”

“Thanks, Iwaizumi. It’s a good thing you’re with us.” Iwaizumi smirks, jabbing his thumb over his shoulder towards Oikawa.

“You try sending this dunce on a journey without me.”

“Iwa-chan, that’s mean!”

“How is that mean?! I was saying I’d go anywhere with you!”

“Phrase it that way, then, you emotionally constipated cactus!”

“Emotional-?!” He raises a hand to smack Oikawa’s shoulder - gently and controlled, of course - but Oikawa is quicker and catches Iwaizumi’s hand in his own. 

“Aww, did you want to hold hands~?”

“Oikawa!”

“I-Wa-Chan!” Matsukawa sighs as they start wrestling, playfully trying to push against the other, whilst being careful of Kuroo. The sorcerer actually tries to intervene, if only he could get his _stupid_ baby arms out of this _stupid_ coat! He could take advantage of this moment right here to give both of them a nice slap on the cheek each. Maybe even grab a nose.

“Oi… If you idiots are going to fight, let me take Kuroo away from you.” They pause, glancing down at Kuroo in unison as if they had _forgotten_ he was there. Well, now he feel offended. Someone is definitely going to get the nose tweaked. 

Oikawa and Iwaizumi drop their linked hands, letting Matsukawa move in and remove Kuroo from the warmth of the coat, ready to tuck the six month old into his own. 

Of course, Kuroo takes opportunity in his momentarily freed limbs, grabbing a handful of Oikawa’s hair, jamming his heel into Oikawa’s cheek, giving Iwaizumi’s cheek a smack, and _just_ missing his nose. His ugly cackle echoes off the canyon walls.

“Little demon brat!!! The sooner we get rid of you, the better!” Hanamaki gasps.

“You can’t say something like that, Oikawa! That’s _horrible_!”

“He’s a baby, it’s not like he understands.” But even Iwaizumi crosses his arms and shakes his head in disappointment, with a hint of anger. 

“It doesn’t matter if he understands or not. You shouldn’t say things like that. You don’t know what it could make people do.” Guiltily, Oikawa shuffles, hunching in on himself.

“You’re right. I’m sorry, Iwa-chan, Makki.” From where he’s stuffed inside Matsukawa coat, Kuroo squawks, as close as he can get to an angry ‘Hey!’.

“Okay, Okay! I’m sorry to you too!” Matsukawa chuckles, patting Kuroo through the thick, warm and protective coat.

“He’s probably just grumpy ‘cus it’s food time. Or maybe he’s tired.” A tiny stomach growls, loud enough to contest even the hungriest of their group. Iwaizumi and Hanamaki, of course, laugh good-naturedly. 

“I’d better get that fire started so we can warm his food up~. Where have you two put our tent?”

“This way.” Hanamaki guides them through the winding encampment, weaving around tent poles and other people’s belongings until they reach their two tents set up at the very edge, taking the brunt of strong winds and the oncoming snowfront. Sawamura holds a hand up in greeting as he finishes hammering a tent pole into the frozen, rocky ground.

“This should hold up against the blizzard that’ll come in later.” Iwaizumi shudders at the very thought of a blizzard, considering Sawamura’s told them it gets a lot, _lot_ colder than just the snow they’ve seen falling.

“Shouldn’t we all stay together for warmth, then?”

“We will, but… It’s best to have two tents set up. If the winds bring down one, we can move into the other.” As if to make his point, a gust of wind strong enough to make a merchant child fall over blasts through the valley, accompanied with large flakes of snow that promise the thick, grey clouds are moving ever closer. They finish eating, under a flurry of thick, white snow that settles on the ground in layers. Sawamura frowns in concern at just how fast the blizzard is rolling in.

“We should turn in early. It’s going to get blustery.” That said, all of them crawl into the one tent. They don’t bother changing, instead staying in their thick, winter clothing, and tucking into their sleeping bags. Hanamaki and Matsukawa cuddle up together as close as they can in one shared sleeping bag, giving the other to Kuroo so that he’s snug and warm like the rest of them. 

Iwaizumi wedges himself inbetween Oikawa and Sawamura, shivering as he curls up into a tight little ball, until the other two take pity on him in their half-awake states and cuddle up as close as they can, limbs tangling together and bodies practically melting into each other. As the only one awake, Kuroo croons at the sweet sight, sure that they’ll be just as tangled in the morning.

Honestly, as the temperature drops, he doesn’t blame them. Using what little coordination he has, Kuroo pushes himself onto his little baby legs, takes one step, and promptly falls onto his bottom. Any other baby would have cried, but Kuroo is technically _not_ a baby, so he doesn’t cry. 

Nope.   
Not at all.

A soft whimper draws Hanamaki from deep sleep, and he sits up rubbing his eyes. What he spots is Kuroo sitting on top of the sleeping bag he wriggled out of, eyes watering, and covered in goosebumps where his skin isn’t covered by cloth.

“C'mere…” The sleepy mumble is followed by Hanamaki leaning over Matsukawa, scooping Kuroo up via under the arms, and drawing the baby in towards his chest. Between the two of them, it’s warm and cosy, and Kuroo quickly drifts into sleep, exhausted from the Dovekie attack earlier. Hanamaki smiles, presses his lips to Matsukawa’s cheek, and draws the sleeping bag cover back over them.

The howling winds and heavy snow that threaten to crush their tent do nothing to stop them sleeping peacefully, exhausted from their journey and ordeal. The other tent they set up collapses at some point during the night, but the one they’re in miraculously remains standing, albeit weighed down by thick snowfall.

“Wake up! Wake uuuup!” Hanamaki groans as he’s jostled, raising his head to find Oikawa trying to shake Matsukawa awake with determination.

“Wa’s going on?” He sits up blearily, swaying a little until Oikawa steadies him with a hand, frowning.

“We got a little _too_ comfy last night. It’s after sunrise.”

“An’ that’s bad because…?” Oikawa raises an eyebrow like he’s questioning Hanamaki’s stupidity, although lethargy keeps him from being offended.

“ _Ushiwaka_? Ring a bell?”

“Oh… Oh! We’re gonna be late!”

“Hopefully not too late, but the more we dilly-dally, the more we risk a war.” Holding back a yawn, Hanamaki mumbles;

“Well, that’s not very nice…” It’s only then that he registers the empty spot between him and Matsukawa - who doesn’t even stir under Oikawa’s attempt to wake him. Hanamaki doesn’t get the chance to ask where Kuroo is before the tent flap lifts and Sawamura enters with the sorcerer in the crook of his arm, wide awake and _very_ embarrassed, for some reason.

Sawamura guiltily rubs the back of his head, and Hanamaki clocks on. They’d slept through the night, _again_.

Which meant Iwaizumi had been on tot-toilet duty _**again**_. 

Whoops.

“H-Hey, uh, why don’t I take Kuroo for a- a walk, huh?”

“Iwa-chan has already done that. All we need now is to eat and go.” Hanamaki gulps and averts his eyes from the glaring baby, knowing full well that the longer they can’t tell Iwaizumi, the more likely they are to have a curse placed upon them. Oikawa huffs, giving up with Matsukawa, and stomps outside the tent.

“... Is he gone?”

“Yup.” In a split second, Matsukawa goes from practically dead - or pretending to be - to already getting out the sleeping bag and searching in his backpack for Kuroo’s jars of baby food.

“I can’t be bothered to lay them all out, so you’re just getting… Porridge. Sorry, Kuroo. On the bright side, yours probably tastes better than ours…”

“I heard that!” Iwaizumi voice interjects through the tent walls, making the others bark with laughter. It’s not that Iwaizumi’s a bad cook, it’s just that he isn’t the best either. Plus, all he has to work with are _beans_. Not- Not the greatest meal in the world…

“It’s ready, come and get it.” At Iwaizumi’s call, the others wriggle out of the tent and into the harsh bitter cold. Scooped up in Matsukawa’s arms, Kuroo shivers and clings his tiny fists to the thick material of his coat. The porridge in Matsukawa’s other hand doesn’t look appetizing _at all_ , partially frozen thanks to the temperature around the canyon.

“Iwaizumi, could you heat this up for Kuroo?” Nodding, Iwaizumi takes the jar of porridge and empties it into a small pan, heating it up over the fire he’s been tempering for a while, if the melted snow around them is anything to go by. Iwaizumi’s eyes have heavy bags underneath them, and Matsukawa wonders if maybe he should stay up tonight to let Iwaizumi rest.

“This is your fault.” He mutters to Kuroo, the baby sorcerer making a grumpy noise in return.

“Well, it is. I bet you tried to fight him when he changed you.” Guiltily, Kuroo shuts up and looks away, making Matsukawa chuckle warmly. He catches Oikawa’s questioning gaze and smiles reassuringly. As soon as the Prince turns back to his bowl of beans, Matsukawa exhales in relief and moves back to get Kuroo’s porridge from Iwaizumi. What he doesn’t expect is for the knight to gesture to his lap, asking for the baby to be passed to him.

“You sure?”

“Mhm. I- I know it’s Oikawa’s Trial to look after him, but I’m his boyfriend, so…”

“... So you’re giving parenting a try too?” Iwaizumi splutters, flustered as his cheeks redden with embarrassment, rather than the cold.

“It’s not parenting! He’s not _mine_! I’m just… Sharing the responsibility of getting Tetsurou home safely.” Matsukawa raises a thick brow in teasing disbelief, but passes Kuroo over anyways. With the porridge warmed but not hot, Iwaizumi spoon feeds the baby with a tenderness that Matsukawa wouldn’t have expected from him.

“You know, I never pegged you for the paternal type.” Before Iwaizumi can say anything in his defence, Hanamaki barks out a laugh, and Oikawa snickers.

“You should have known, Mattsun~! Iwa-chan practically adopted Kindaichi!” 

“True, true.”

“... I did not _adopt_ him, I just taught him how to care for a horse.” Hanamaki leans over from where he’s cleaning out the chamber pot.

“You found him - a homeless, orphan child - on the streets, brought him back to the castle to wash, eat, and heal, then begged King Irihata to let him stay as a stablehand. You adopted him, Iwaizumi.” The Knight turns his gaze skyward in a silent admission.

“Never mind, Iwa-chan~.”

“Shut up, Oikawa.”

“But you love me!”

“... Yeah, I do. I love you.” The depth of the honesty catches Oikawa off guard, and this time, he’s the one blushing.

“I- I love you too.” Matsukawa and Hanamaki roll their eyes and fake gag, whilst Sawamura shakes his head amusingly. He lets them have a moment of peace, and eat, before he clears his throat.

“Hurry up and pack up, we’ve got to get going soon.” A chorus of agreement heralds a massive cleanup, everything stuffed back into backpacks and haversacks, as well as readying the horses for the trek out of the canyon.

To the screech of the dovekies, they set off along the trail marked out by slush and dirt, the deep set grooves in the earth from the mass or merchants that travel this route continuously all day. It’s not a hard route to follow, that’s for sure.

The further they move along the canyon, the thinner the snow gets. It’s not as windy either, although that might be due to the way the canyon opens out, widening as the walls lower, eroded away from rain in the warmer atmosphere.

“Sawa-chan! Are we almost at Puffin Rock yet?”

“Not yet. You’ll know when we are.”

“We- We will?”

“Oh, you will~.” Smug, Sawamura says nothing else on the matter, which in turn irritates Oikawa to scowling. He knows he won’t be able to wheedle it out of the Karasuno member, no matter how hard he tries. When Sawamura wants to keep information to himself, he does.

Oikawa sighs, trying to ignore the way Kuroo makes weird sounds underneath his chin - not knowing that he’s trying to imitate the _thing_ that would be a dead giveaway they’re at Puffin Rock.

“You’re such a _weird_ baby. Even for a sorcerer baby. Is this a Nekoma thing? Are all you sproglets weird in Nekoma?”

“Abababa!”

“Yes, that’s right, you’re very weird.”

“Nanana!”

“Are you trying to say ‘no’?! Are you?!” Oikawa risks letting go of Kronus’s reins with one hand to poke Kuroo’s cheek, of course, getting his finger bitten in return.

“... Rude. Iwa-chan, he bit me!” A handsome chuckle from behind has Oikawa twist in his saddle to witness Iwaizumi with a gleaming smile, his hair as messy as ever yet adorable all the same. There’s something incredibly soothing in just _looking_ at him, and Oikawa can’t help the soft smile that overcomes him, even as Kuroo gnaws aggressively on his finger.

“Yeah, but I bet you provoked him~.”

“Just a little.” Conversations halts as they journey on, the bitter cold and fatigue rendering them into comfortable silence, and that’s when Oikawa hears _it_.

“... Cows?” 

“Not quite~.” Sawamura’s amusement instantly clocks Oikawa on.

“Those are _puffins_?! Birds are _**mooing**_?! Ah! Now I know what Tetsu-chan was trying to do! What a clever brat!” Matsukawa laughs at the bizarre excitement in Oikawa’s voice, like this is the best thing he’s heard all year. Sometimes Matsukawa wonders how their Prince is going to lead a country when he’s so easily excitable.

“It does sound pretty strange~...”

“They’re pretty funny-sounding. Think Shiratori would notice if a couple of puffins went missing?” Iwaizumi gives Hanamaki a look daring him to even try. Hanamaki shrugs, completely deadpan expression. The others know all too well of his ability to ‘burrow’ things with a straight face and no guilt whatsoever. 

Some say it is a human flaw. Hanamaki says it’s a gift of survival.

“Wait until you see them. The first time seeing a puffin is like accidentally ingesting Fantasmata figs.” Having had his fair share of the hallucinogen, confusing it with ordinary figs multiple times, Oikawa shudders.

“They can’t be that weird, surely?”

“You can tell that they’re birds, but their short, colourful beaks, too-large feet, and general roundness add a sense of uniqueness.” Oikawa snorts, but his dubiousness is cut off by a honk from above, a bird that sounds remarkably like a cow. His eyes widen comically.

“That- That’s a very round bird. Iwa-chan, did you cook those beans properly?”

“Believe me, I’m seeing it too.” Matsukawa grunts a small sound of surprise, following the puffin with his eyes.

“If it was the beans, it’s very strange that we’re all seeing the same thing.” Exasperated, Sawamura pinches the bridge of his nose.

“I told you; that’s a puffin. A real animal. Nobody here is hallucinating. If anything, it’s a sign we’re going in the right direction.”

“Right direct- I thought you _knew_ where we were going!”

“I know roughly where Puffin Rock is. But I’ve never actually been there before. I’m relying on external information.” Four faces openly gawp at him from over their shoulders, and he hears Kuroo’s irritated babble too.

“We _trusted_ you, Sawamura!” Hanamaki’s only teasing, Sawamura knows, so he smirks.

“I would have thought you’d know better than to trust a stranger~.”

“Oh please, we’ve shared the same tent, you’ve been stuck with us almost a week, and we’ve seen you naked at the Cobalt Caverns. You’re family now, so suck it.”

For a moment, they don’t realise that only the four horses are moving forwards, Sawamura’s feet frozen in place at Matsukawa’s addition to Hanamaki’s tease. It’s only when Iwaizumi looks over his shoulder to check that everything’s okay he notices Sawamura is stood in place, head down and fists clenched.

“Sawamura? Are you okay?” His shoulders shake. Concerned, Oikawa dismounts to walk over and ask what’s wrong, but just before he puts a hand on Sawamura’s shoulder, he jerks his head up, eyes filled with water but a grin in place.

“I’m okay! More than okay!”

“E-Eh? What are you crying for?!” Sawamura laughs a little, choked up, wiping his arm across his face.

“I’m just happy, okay? Karasuno is- Karasuno is a family of its own, but I’ve never… Never been _told_ I’m someone else’s family. It’s a big deal!” Hanamaki and Matsukawa blink at each other, communicating without words.

“Wait, you… You seriously didn’t know?”

“We weren’t exactly being discreet. Trust me, you’d know if you were being shunned by us.” Sawamura chokes out another laugh, voice warm and flooded with happiness.

“Okay, okay, I get it~. Thank you, all of you.” Light conversation and joking proceeds, until the point where they would have to shout to be heard over the puffins. There’s nowhere near as many as the dovekies, but they’re _loud_! Not to mention how low-pitched their calls are, drowning out human voices.

“We must be close…” Nobody hears Iwaizumi’s mutter, but they certainly notice when Oikawa stops at the summit of a hill, pulling Kronus to a halt with an aura of distaste and disgust. He glances over his shoulder with nose scrunched up, lips curled, and eyebrows drawn painfully tight, his eyes burning with hatred. No doubt about it, they’re in the right spot. He only makes that expression around one person, and only person only. 

Ushijima Wakatoshi.

From the crest of the hill, they can see him too, lying in the long grass reading a book, one arm behind his head as a pillow, his blue roan horse freely eating around the area, her reins on the ground besides Ushijima. 

Behind him, there’s a large rock jutting out the ground, like a meteorite in the centre of a crater, and the puffins flock to it to land and then hop to the ground, to their nests. One hops right over Ushijima’s stomach, and he doesn’t even look away from his book.

It’s only as the group of six and their four horses trot down the side of the crater-like earth that he blinks, closes the book, and sits up to look in their direction. Here, the puffins are far too noisy, so the only greeting he can give is a bow with his arm across his stomach, and a jerk of his head to indicate which direction they’ll be leaving in.

Wordlessly, the group - now extended to 7 people and 5 horses - departs from Puffin Rock to much quieter, open fields of corn, a dirt path along the way. Hanamaki makes a small sound of awe.

“I didn’t think anything would grow this far north…” Ushijima huffs, a hint of a smile on his lips as he reaches out and plucks an ear from the stalk.

“Corn is incredibly resilient. Sunflowers were planted here first, to provide nutrients for the soil when they died and decayed. Once the soil was fertile, seeds were sown and the corn burst forth. The same family who settled here in the first place still tend to these farms, generations later.”

“Woah. Now _that’s_ dedication.” That tiny hint of a smile grows into a twitch of one, before Ushijima faces forwards again and guides them through the corn fields. He converses with Sawamura, jogging alongside the horses, and it’s almost like they _know_ each other. In a fit of stubbornness and bitterness, Oikawa is completely tight-lipped.

“Rhea!” He turns around and gasps at the sight of the usually placid mare snorting, shaking her head, and trying to throw Iwaizumi off. From Persephone’s back, Hanamaki tries soothing sounds, grabbing the reins Iwaizumi’s dropped to hold her steady, but for some reason, Rhea isn’t settling. In the midst of the crisis, Matsukawa dismounts Hades and stands by her side, arms spread wide as Iwaizumi is thrown off balance, clinging to the saddle desperately.

“Iwaizumi, you need to let go. I’ll catch you, just let go.”

“I- I can’t! My foot is-!” Rhea rears again, and Iwaizumi almost slides from the saddle. Almost. His death grip on the pommel is all that keep him in place. But it does allow for Matsukawa to see the issue. Whilst the stirrup furthest from him swings loose, the one closest is _stuck_. Or more accurately, Iwaizumi’s foot is stuck through it, the stirrup up at his ankle. If he falls, it could be a potential break.

Oikawa finishes his observation, and calmly trots over to Ushijima, snatches the ear of corn from his hand, peels it back, and holds it out towards Rhea.

“Here, girl. Food time. Wanna get chubbier? Just take a bite.” It works like a charm. Rhea calms down quickly enough, and Hanamaki works the bit out of her mouth so she can safely eat. Matsukawa helps Iwaizumi get his ankle out the stirrup so he can right himself.

“If you require a better-behaved horse, I can lend you one from Shiratorizawa stables.” Iwaizumi pulls a face.

“No, thank you. Rhea is the only horse for me.” Respectfully, Ushijima dips his head, turning back to his conversation with Sawamura, who watches with a hint of concern. Oikawa snorts at Iwaizumi’s miffed expression, mumbling under his breath.

“Eat shit, Ushiwaka.” 

“Oi, play nice, Prince~.”

“Eat my entire ass, Makki.”

“With pleasure.” Hanamaki bursts into hideous laughter, partly wheezing, mostly honking at his own joking response, and Matsukawa can’t stop himself snickering at the sound. Hanamaki’s laugh and happiness is so contagious, that it works up into a laugh of his own, even Iwaizumi chuckling from the side, despite the shake of his hands, knuckles still white as he grips the saddle.

“Come on, you four! You’re lagging behind!”

“We’re coming!” Hades and Persephone are nudged into a trot to catch up to Sawamura and Ushijima, but Oikawa lingers, placing a hand on the small of Iwaizumi’s back.

“Y‘okay?” 

“I- I-.. Yeah, I am.” It’s not a full lie, but his tone of voice betrays that he’s not so sure himself. Kuroo wriggles an arm free, reaching out towards him. Horses might not be popular in Nekoma, but he’s seen enough to know that falling from one hurts, and being thrown off is _scary_.

“Iwawa…” Iwaizumi huffs shakily, forcing on a soothing smile as he offers out a finger for the baby to latch onto. It’s all Kuroo can do, trapped in this body. Oikawa’s eyes soften and glitter.

“Aww, you won Tetsu-chan over completely~. Maybe Mattsun was right about you parenting him~.”

“I am _not_! Just because he’s kinda sweet, doesn’t mean I want one of my own.”

“You don’t?”

“Not yet, anyways. We aren’t even married yet.”

“All in due time, Iwa-chan! Father will probably arrange the crowning ceremony once we’re back from the Trials, and then I’ll propose immediately!” Iwaizumi flusters, his cheeks darkening as he nudges Rhea into walking forwards. After an ear of corn, she’s her usual self again. Must have just been Hangry.

“Who- Who said you’d be the one proposing, Dummykawa?! Maybe I want to!” Oikawa grins, trying to fight back the joyful blush that spreads warmth across his ears and neck. He quickly turns Kronus around, trotting to catch up with Iwaizumi. As he passes, he plants a sloppy, wet kiss on his cheek, bursting with a gleeful laugh as Iwaizumi squawks in surprise, and gallops off before he can get one in return.

“Why, you-!”

“Can’t catch me, Iwa-chan!” He gallops past Hanamaki and Matsukawa, who widen their eyes, look at each other with growing excitement, and then dart after him as soon as Iwazumi and Rhea have passed. Sawamura has to leap into the growing corn to avoid being trampled when the four _race_ past, like they’re riding on the wind, using the downhill slope of the dirt track to aid their speed. Ushijima blinks after them.

“... Are they usually like that?”

“Oikawa and Hanamaki, yes. Iwaizumi, most of the time. Matsukawa, on occasion. It’s a wild party, that’s for sure.”

“I see. This will be very interesting.” Sawamura laughs heartily, since Ushijima doesn’t know the half of it. More than just ‘interesting’, travelling with the Seijou group is an adventure all of it’s own, never mind the actual adventure at hand. Clicking his tongue, Ushijima lightly kicks his heels against his own horse - Neptune - and encourages the blue roan mare into a canter.

When he heard from his father that he was to meet Seijou at Puffin Rock within a day or two, Ushijima had selected the fastest horse in the stable. Neptune, being an Akhal Teke has the speed of an Arabian, but the endurance of a Thoroughbred. She’s perfect for this short journey, although Ushijima knows well that he’ll have to change horses before continuing the rest of his Trial.

“Try to keep up, Iwaizumi!” Currently at the front of the pack, Hanamaki calls teasingly over his shoulder at the drastically lagging Iwaizumi and Rhea. Ushijima and Neptune overtake them quickly, and proceed to speed past Matsukawa and Hades with very little effort. Oikawa lets out an enraged shout of frustration as Ushijima passes him and Kronus.

“Ushi- _fucking_ -Waka!”

“My apologies, Oikawa, but I was under the assumption this was a race. And, I would quite like to win.” He leaves Oikawa spitting out furious curses and exploding in a rage as he closes in on Hanamaki. The guard glances over his shoulder, gives a crooked, challenging grin, and turns his eyes forwards as he leans forwards in the saddle, making himself more aerodynamic.

“C’mon Lil’ P! Let’s show Shiratori how we roll!” Persephone snorts as she runs, breathing heavily, with Neptune approaching slowly but surely. In the distance, a dead tree stands at the edge of the field, and Hanamaki jolts his head towards it. Ushijima nods in response. They have established a finish line, and it’s do or die until that point.

Sawamura huffs a laugh as he watches from the very back, narrowing his eyes to see through the dust the horses kick up. With a sigh, Iwaizumi drops back to join him. It’s not like Rhea can keep up with the bigger, faster horses anyways. Pushing her to do so might be what’s causing her moods.

“Hello, Iwaizumi.”

“Hey, Sawamura.” They share a boyish grin, turning their attention back to the race. Matsukawa looks to have given up, slumping in the saddle as Hades huffs and breathes heavily. He’s built for endurance, not high speeds. Hades could walk for two days without rest, but one sprint along a stretch of dirt road and he was exhausted. Kronus was a little better on the speed aspect, but even he trailed to a halt before reaching the tree.

“Who’re you betting for?” Sawamura humms in contemplation, pursing his lips together tightly.

“Ushijima.”

“Wow, betrayal~.”

“You asked!” He laughs, deep from his belly, before clearing his throat into his hand.

“I don’t know how long Hanamaki’s been riding, but Shiratori Princes are practically born on a horse. They’re highly trained from the moment they can walk. Not to mention Ushijima has a myriad of horses, Neptune of which is the fastest.”

“Huh… Wait, you know the _horses_ of Shiratorizawa?” Breaking into a cold sweat, Sawamura tightly purses his lips with a guilty expression. Iwaizumi doesn’t question him further.

“Oooh, they’re neck and neck!” He twists his head back towards the horizon, scrunching up his nose as his eyes narrow, trying to see the silhouettes in the light of the sun as they race. But no matter how hard he squints, he can’t make out who the first one to pass the tree is.

“... Who won?”

“I- I don’t know…” Matsukawa sounds just as lost as Iwaizumi feels, slowly gaining on the others to ask about the outcome of their race. It’s as they approach they realise Oikawa also has an expression of perplexity, lips pressed together unevenly.

“As much as I’d like Makki to win, I think it was a perfect draw…”

“You only want Hanamaki to win because you’re biased.”

“And you’re not~?” Iwaizumi’s glance slides left, telling Oikawa all he needs to know. He smirks a little, the gesture touched by love.

“Why don’t we just say Makki won anyways? Ushiwaka is probably too ‘noble’ to disagree.”

“Because-” Matsukawa interrupts- “Takahiro would hate that and you know it.” He pauses to smile at Hanamaki, the guard with his arm in the air to wave them over.

“He likes to win for sure or admit his loss. Unlike a certain someone we know.” He raises a thick eyebrow at Oikawa, who unlike most people would, grins and flashes a peace sign in pride. He’s not cocky or overconfident, but he _knows_ when he’s lost or has been cheated of a victory. When that happens, he just won’t stand for it. 

“Oiiiii, hurry up!” Hanamaki’s call from the top of the hill is accompanied by both his arms waving in the air, trying to get their attention and urge them to pick up the pace. Kuroo scoffs, going unheard under Oikawa’s huff of amusement, and he babbles quietly as if to sarcastically mock Hanamaki whilst the horses trot over.

“Who won, Makki?”

“That depends on if the answer poses potential risk to my life. Would you kill me if I said I lost?”

“Yes.” The quick delivery and deadpan tone, paired with an intense stare has Hanamaki shudder and lean away from Oikawa with a nervous giggle.

“You- uh- You’re joking, right? He’s j-joking, right?!” Turning to Iwaizumi for an answer proves no comfort, the knight giving a cryptid shrug of the shoulders as he passes by on Rhea. Hanamaki’s jaw opens and closes like a fish for a moment, until Matsukawa nudges a knuckle under his chin and pushes his mouth closed.

“Don’t act so flabbergasted, they can smell fear~.” 

“Ex- _scuse_ you, Mattsun! We’re not bloodhounds!”

“No, I know that. Bloodhounds have class. And standards.” In unison, Iwaizumi and Oikawa shout indignantly, though Matsukawa only smirks. He smirks, because he knows no fear. Even if Oikawa threatens to take one of his daggers out, Matsukawa only tilts his head curiously as if trying to tempt him into it.

Sawamura is well used to this behaviour, but Ushijima looks on with brow deeply furrowed and a hint of concern in the pressed corners of his lips. He points at them as he turns to Sawamura.

“Are they okay?” Sighing, Sawamura pinches the bridge of his nose. It’s going to be a _loooong_ journey to the capital, Shiratorizawa.

“No, Ushijima, no they are not.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ushijima has finally arrived, after 75 pages!  
> Fun fact: It took a lot of research to find out if any crops could grow up north and how to plant them!  
> Fun _ner_ fact: PUFFINS SOUND SO AWESOME. I LOVE THEM. HONK.
> 
> I need a new summary cus mine sucks. Help? TT^TT
> 
> Please kudos and comment~!


	4. Shiratorizawa and snowmelt!

It takes them four days to reach the capital of Shiratori empire. Somehow, in that time, Ushijima has managed to fit in the group, everything balancing out in the end. Oikawa has even learnt to tolerate him, despite getting annoyed very easily. It’s almost infuriating to him how well Hanamaki and Matsukawa get along with him, and Iwaizumi seems to be warming up to the idea - with plenty of encouragement from Sawamura.

Looming in the distance, Shiratorizawa palace is as imposing as it is impressive. It doesn’t make Oikawa feel welcome, that’s for certain. Even as beautiful as the complex of ancient pagoda style buildings is, with Dou Gong holding up the levels of each structure, something about the palace oozes an off putting aura. It’s almost like it’s warning Oikawa to stay away.

For one thing, the maroon brickwork and pagoda roof tiles look like they’ve been painted with dried blood, leaving only ledges and details in dazzling, magnificent white. It’s _incredibly_ off putting. Oikawa much prefers the pristine white with touches of elegant mint blue that his own home has. 

That’s why it’s called Aobajousai - Blue castle - after all. Nothing about the maroon colour of Shiratori Empire’s capital palace has anything to do with swans. Or even the eagles Prince Ushijima is well-famed for! It’s just so… Bland.

“A gargoyle or two wouldn’t look out of place…”

“Oikawa, don’t be rude.”

“Not to mention this crazy weather. Geez, is it really so warm already?”

“... We’ve been heading south the whole time, of course it’s _warmer_. That’s how climate works, dumbass.” Oikawa sticks his tongue out at Iwaizumi, already unbuttoning his jacket. A move which reveals Kuroo to the world, blearily blinking awake as he had fallen asleep nestled against the warmth of Oikawa’s chest. 

“... You have a baby.”

“Great observation skills, Ushiwaka. It only took your four days .” Ushijima blinks at Kuroo, then turns to Iwaizumi, dipping his head in _legitimate_ respect.

“Congratulations.” Iwaizumi almost chokes, ears burning and a blush dawning upon him. Secretly, he’s also incredibly happy. Kuroo angrily squawks, shaking his fist in Ushijima’s direction.

“He- He’s not mine! Tetsu’s part of Oikawa’s Trial!” Ushijima only blinks, nods his head, and trots off into palace grounds with Neptune. Sawamura snickers and then laughs, Iwaizumi scowling as he blushes a deep red, Oikawa poking Kuroo’s cheek and murmuring about how there’s no way _his_ kid would be such a brat. Luckily, neither Hanamaki nor Matsukawa overheard. That would have been a whole new level of embarrassment. 

“Doesn’t this place give you a bad vibe, or something?” Iwaizumi looks around suspiciously, trying to figure out what it is that has him so… Unsettled. Oikawa nods, his observational skills providing an answer in seconds.

“I think it’s because the palace is in a depression of land, rather than how Aobajousai is a castle on a hill. It doesn’t feel safe to us, since there’s no vantage point. Plus we’re so heavily under watch.” Eyes watch them from every nook and cranny, every angle and window, and Oikawa can feel the tension prickling even through his thick winter coat. 

“Good thing we’re here as guests…” Ushijima leads them through a stone archway, and across a drawbridge that only just reaches the ground as Iwaizumi pulls up at the back. He stares into the moat below and represses a shudder, trying not to think of how _easy_ it would be for the wooden drawbridge to give way, or crack beneath their horses hooves, or slip off the soil and into the water.

“Iwa-chan.” The soft call of his name draws him back to the present, pulling his gaze away from the water and crossing the bridge quickly. He knows he has reason to be afraid, but for some reason, he just feels a little more beaten up each time he experiences that fear, deeply rooted within him.

“Woah, look how huge this place is!” Wide eyed and beaming a smile, Hanamaki speaks with a one of awe as he looks around the open courtyard. Aobajousai has one stable with a medium paddock, a well, a shed filled with training equipment, and a couple of merchant stalls. 

_Shiratorizawa_ has at least four stables, each with their own fenced paddock, a pond with ducks and dragonflies, a field of flowers with vegetables, fruits, and rich-smelling herbs, a whole _plethora_ of merchant and trading stalls, and a huge building that Hanamaki reckons is filled with their training shields and weaponry.

“Calm down, ‘Hiro, it’s impressive but not unusual~.”

“They have _chickens!_ I love chickens!” Matsukawa chuckles as Hanamaki dismounts clumsily, practically falling off Persephone in his rush to get over to the chickens. He chucks the reins at Matsukawa, who of course catches them, and jogs over to the chicken coop, cooing at them as the strut around pecking seeds off the ground. Pausing in the centre of the courtyard, the rest of the group dismount with much more elegance.

Ushijima pats Neptune’s neck and starts to remove his bags from her saddle, knowing that one of the stablehands will be here in a minute. A little smile tugs at his lips as he observes Sawamura walking up towards one of them - Stable 3, with the personal horses of the Princes. The Karasuno member quickly brushes himself down, checks his hair is okay, and breathes into his hand to check his breath. If Ushijima didn’t know _why_ he was doing it, the nervous behaviour would have seem weird, rather than amusingly adorable.

Sure enough, summoned by the horses, the head stablehand steps out of the stable, and that’s when Sawamura steps forwards with a bashful grin, slight blush on the tips of his ears, and arms open wide.

“Yui~.” She gasps and drops the tray of horse-care items in hand, _launching_ herself at Sawamura and wrapping her arms around his neck and legs around his hips.

“Daichi!!!” He laughs as he hugs her tightly, nuzzling his face into her hair like he’s trying to bury himself in it. They go quiet, just pressing against each other and melting into one, smiling softly with tears of joy threatening to fall. Eventually, Sawamura speaks, a whisper meant for Michimiya’s ears only.

“I missed you so much…” 

“I missed you too. Come by more often, you big dummy.” Michimiya pulls away, wiping the back of her hand against her eyes, and then lands a punch to Sawamura’s stomach that has him wheeze. She grins innocently with her eyes closed, creased at the corners.

“That’s for being gone so long!” As she opens her adorable brown eyes, she lowers her voice and gently holds Sawamura with a hand on each cheek. A soft, loving kiss lingers on his lips before Michimiya draws back, leaving Sawamura swooning, like tiny hearts are floating around him.

“And _that’s_ for coming back.” Snapping out of his lovestruck daze, Sawamura wraps his arms around her waist and pulls her in tight, peppering her face with tons of tiny kisses, making her squeal and giggle at the ticklish sensation.

“I love you so much.”

“I love you too~! Now let me go so I can tend to the horses!” As the two of them together pick up the tools Michimiya dropped, Matsukawa blinks in their direction then turns back to watch over Hanamaki as he tries to play with a chicken via a long piece of grass through the wiring. Well, that explains why Sawamura knew the Shiratori horses.

“Takahiro, we’re going inside soon.”

“Five more minutes! Please, Issei, they’re so cute!” He coos again, wriggling the piece of grass and enticing the chicken to peck at it. The teenage farmhand nearby heaves a mighty sigh as he dumps a load of feed into the pig pen.

“Would you like to hold one?” Hanamaki looks up at him with sparkling eyes.

“Please!” With an expression like he’s permanently tired, the attendant nods and opens the roof of the chicken coop. Much to Hanamaki’s surprise and delight, instead of lifting out a fully grown chicken, the attendant carries a _tiny_ chick in one hand. 

“Oh- Oh my god. Oh my _god_. It’s so precious!” Cupping his hands together, Hanamaki holds the chick at eye level once the attendant places it carefully into his waiting hands. It peeps, flapping its tiny, fluffy wings before settling in the curve of Hanamaki’s hands. He might cry a little bit.

“So- So cuuuuute. I want to cuddle it forever.”

“If you did that, it would freeze. They’re only 3 days old, so these chick still need a brooder. And their mother, of course. These little ones die so easily.”

“Wow, that’s cheerful.” The attendant snickers at Matsukawa’s deadpan statement, returning to the chicken coop to scoop out another chick - this one with brown splotches - and put it in Hanamaki’s hands to keep the other company, and warm. He holds a hand out for Matsukawa to shake.

“Kawanishi. I work with the animals here.” Matsukawa gives it a firm shake, the corners of his lips twitching up in sympathy at how _tired_ Kawanishi looks. Although maybe that’s just his face. Matsukawa gets that a lot too.

“Matsukawa. I help protect the royal dumbass from Seijou.” Kawanishi blinks, a hint of surprise in his dark, hooded eyes.

“His Highness lets you refer to him as such?”

“Mhm. We were friends first, guards later. I suppose we have certain leeways that others don’t.”

“That’s… Understandable.”

“Makki! Mattsun!” Oikawa’s order, spoken with a stern yet patient tone, snaps the both of them back into work mode. Hanamaki stands up, passing the chicks back over to Kawanishi and brushes his hands off on his pants.

“Thanks for letting me hold them. They’re super cute.” He dips his head politely and jogs off back to Oikawa, Matsukawa at his heels after a quick goodbye to the animal attendant. They stand to attention in front of Oikawa, saluting with their right hands, Hanamaki’s left hand rigid by his hip and Matsukawa’s left hand clutching his Glaive. 

Right now, they’re on royal business, and it’s their duty to appear stoic and strong. The cunning glint of stubbornness in Oikawa’s eyes betrays that whilst he’s not happy with something, his duty is to go forwards with it. And for that, he switches completely to ‘Prince Mode’.

“We’re meeting with the Emperor. I want Hanamaki on my left, Matsukawa on my right, and Iwaizumi is going to follow behind. Don’t forget to hold your tongues and _never_ raise your head from a bow unless the Emperor gives the order.”

“Yes, your Highness!” They shuffle into position, remaining exactly two steps to the side of, or in Iwaizumi’s case, three steps behind Oikawa, faces moulded into stony, expressionless statues with an aura of _“Don’t come any closer.”_. There’s nothing threatening about it, it’s just for the security of their Prince. There’s no way of telling if there’s an assassination attempt set up.

“Prince Oikawa.” As someone of the same rank, and in his home country, Ushijima doesn’t _have_ to refer to Oikawa by his title, but chooses to do so anyway out of respect. He opens the door to the palace, leading the four through the corridors towards the throne room. 

Sawamura chooses to stay outside with the horses and Michimiya, who _amazingly_ has Persephone eating out the palm of her hand. Kuroo stays in Sawamura’s arm, watching with amazement how this night _mare_ was acting as docile as Rhea around the Shiratori stablehand. 

Shiratorizawa palace is _**huge**_. It takes just over five minutes to weave through the maze-like corridors just to reach the one room. Ushijima’s hand pauses flat on the door, hesitating to push it open.

“He might ask about your journey. Don’t use false flattery, if he senses it, he’ll instantly dislike you and it will put your companions at risk.” 

“Thanks for the warning.” Usually, Oikawa would add a sarcastic or bitter tone when talking to Ushijima. But the safety of his companions - of his friends and _boyfriend_ \- means more to him than any rivalry or bitter history. He’s willing to put aside his hatred if Ushijima’s advice keeps his not-blood-related family safe.

With a nod to the guards on either side of the door, Ushijima pushes open the large double doors with their assistance. Oikawa isn’t sure why the doors are so tall in the first place. Is Emperor Washijou getting visits from giants and orcs? Once inside, they make their way to the centre of the room and all four drop to one knee, an arm resting across the knee not on the floor, heads bowed with eyes closed.

“Father. Our guests from Seijou, land to the west, are here.” The old man in the throne scoffs, struggling to push himself to his feet in old age. He leans heavily against his staff, but apart from his posture and wrinkles, _nothing_ gives him away as a weak old man. The pressure just from being in the same room as him is almost enough to make them asphyxiate.

“I know where Seijou is!” 

“Of course.” The Emperor raises a thick, white eyebrow, glare intensifying on the four below. Iwaizumi feels like he’s drowning in the suffocating aura. He’s drowning and he can’t breathe and there’s so much _pressure_ -

Hanamaki manages to discreetly slide his foot over, nudging the side of Iwaizumi’s foot. It reminds him to breathe, but it doesn’t take away that vague sense of panic and helplessness. He can feel the cold sweat on his forehead and shake in his extremities. Oikawa knows too, but there’s no way he can help in this position.

“Father, they’ve come a long way. Prince Oikawa is also on his Trial. Therefore… Since we are headed in the same direction, I request your permission to accompany him and his party.” For a split second, Oikawa almost loses his control and bursts out in anger. It’s a good thing his head is dipped to the floor so the Emperor can’t see his furious snarl and eyes wide open with venom coursing through the veins in his eyes, making them bloodshot. He looks like hatred personified.

But in this position, he knows he can’t speak out, and a shuddering breath shakes his body as he forces himself to remain calm. He turns the fire to ice, cooling his temper with nothing but deep, slow breaths of air.

“On one condition.” Ushijima blinks, awaiting his father’s command. The Emperor waves his hand, summoning one of the servants from the curtains at the side of the hall. Whispered words are exchanged and the servant dashes from the hall. The silent wait is something Ushijima is used to, but leaves the others feeling tense and awkward.

The servant returns quickly, but he’s not alone. His arm is covered with a thick brown leather glove, and on that glove, one of the most _gorgeous_ falcons Oikawa has ever seen. Ushijima knows it well. This falcon is his father’s pride and joy, the best of this year’s breeding project to raise stronger, faster messenger falcons. 

“Father, this is…”

“Yes. This is Jinsoku. Your condition is to take him with you. You will send two messages per day, on in the morning and one that will arrive by evening. If I don’t receive these messages, I will assume your life has been cut short by these… _Seijou_ people.”

“... I understand.” As harsh as Washijou sounds, Ushijima knows he’s just worried. He may be grouchy and put on a display of giving the cold shoulder, but he’s still a parent. The corners of Ushijima’s lips turn upwards.

“Thank you, father.” Washijou excuses the five, allowing them to stand, bow their thanks for not getting executed, and leave the throne room. As Ushijima guides them back through the maze like corridors, there’s something they miss.

Eyes on a painting move, and then there’s the tip-tap of speedy feet behind the wall, followed by the _next_ painting watching them. Something is following their every move, watching them like a hawk, trailing behind them with deep interest. And, in young, dark eyes, a spark of mischief. 

“Prince Ushijima!” Grinding to halt, Ushijima turns to see someone his own age running towards them, someone fraught with concern but equally angry. Whoever is in the walls holds their breath and stays perfectly still to avoid attention.

“Semi. What are you doing here? I thought you were tutoring Tsutomu on elemental magic?”

“I was, but he ran off again! He’s getting bolder every time, I swear-!” The Prince lays a hand on Semi’s shoulder with a sigh. 10 year old Tsutomu is well-known amongst the staff members and residents for constantly leaving mid lesson or conversation, growing disinterested far too quick for anyone to keep track of, and without warning.

Most of the time, he’s found near Ushijima, observing the older Prince’s lessons and demanding to be taught the same way. He doesn’t seem to understand that academics come _before_ sword training. Ushijima pinches the crease of his brow. Such a troublesome little brother he has!

“Calm down. We’ll keep an eye out for him, but I’m sure he’s nearby.” The wall snickers. Closest to it, Oikawa blinks, stares, and then thumps his fist against it. It resounds like it’s mostly hollow, and he nods at Iwaizumi. The knight keeps his sharp eyes peeled as he examines the length of the wall, jogging over to one particular panel. He gestures flatly to it with the palm of his hand, and sure enough, Matsukawa and Hanamaki can see the seam of a secret door that slides open from the inside.

“Ushiwaka, you _might_ want to consider stabbing the wall. About… Here.” Oikawa point to a spot that definitely sounds hollow, just left of the mass inside the wall. Ushijima, of course, blinks in confusion.

“Why would I want to-?”

“Because it seems like there’s a little _‘mouse’_ behind these walls.” Ushijima’s eyes flicker up to the painting when Oikawa points with his free hand. Where the eyes of his great-great-grandmother should be, there’s duplicate tufts of black hair poking out.

“... Ah. Yes, perhaps I should.” As Ushijima draws his Gongfu Broadsword, there’s a squeak within the walls and then scampering as the _‘mouse’_ stumbles towards the secret door Iwaizumi located. It slides open and a small boy rolls out in a curled up ball shape and quickly scrambles to his feet, pointing at his big brother.

“You- You can’t just stab the walls! You could have killed me!” Tsutomu freezes and chuckles nervously when he suddenly realises all eyes are on him and he’s surrounded with nowhere to go, Iwaizumi having stepped in front of the secret panel. Ushijima crosses his arms and raises his unamused eyebrows, whilst Semi stomps over to him and grabs the little rascal by the ear.

“You stupid boy! Don’t you know how unsafe it is for you to walk around _alone_? You’re 10!”

“I’m too sneaky to get caught!” 

“Nobody is ‘too sneaky’, Tsutomu. You should know that well.” The younger Prince pouts, averting his gaze with a flicker of anger and _grief_. Ushijima hit a sore spot, apparently. With a sigh of relief at his student being found, Semi puts a hand on his back and guides him down the corridor.

“Come. I’ll teach you something fun next.” The young Prince bolts away, eyes fixed on the ground. He’s probably crying, Ushijima knows, because Tsutomu cries a lot. But there’s a genuine reason this time, and Ushijima hangs his head low in guilt.

Whilst he, the eldest Prince, was the son of the Emperor and his wife, Tsutomu was offspring from the Emperor’s concubine. A retired assassin, Tsutomu’s mother must have been one of the sneakiest alive. But late one night, when roaming the palace with her 5 year old pottering behind happily, thieves breaking into the empire treasury had taken their opportunity to leave the Emperor a ‘message’.

Even at such a young age, Tsutomu had never forgotten the image of his mother slaughtered and ripped apart like meat for wild animals. He’d been found whimpering and begging her to wake up, stained by her blood. Even the sneakiest in the Empire had been caught and killed.

“Semi, it might be best to leave him for now. Please let him know I am deeply sorry when you next see him.”

“... Of course, your Highness.” Obviously hesitant, the tutor looks in the direction Tsutomu ran off before he heads back to the library.

“Wooow, Ushiwaka, you have a _lot_ of family drama~.” Sharp eyes narrow in Oikawa’s direction, a silent and angry demand for him to silence himself. Wisely, Oikawa does so. Iwaizumi elbows him, giving him a soft smile to lift his spirits. 

A little cheered up, Oikawa leans in and presses a soft, discreet kiss to his cheek. Not that he manages to hide it from Matsukawa and Hanamaki. Hanamaki smiles in admiration of their pure and gentle love, and then his brow furrows. He reaches out and tugs Iwaizumi’s sleeve.

“Hey, Iwaizumi, you okay? You kinda freaked out in there for a moment.” With a sheepish laugh, the Knight rubs the back of his head.

“Yeah, the pressure was _immense_. It was like I was drowning again.” Matsukawa winces. He was there that day. He couldn’t do anything to help. He _hadn’t_ done anything to help, and it had been exactly the same in the throne room. At the very least, Hanamaki had nudged him out of the vivid and traumatic memory. What had Matsukawa done, other than observe?

“Oi. If you’re blaming yourself again, I’ll kick your ass.” Matsukawa shakes his head strongly, holding his hands up in self-defence as Iwaizumi teasingly swats a hand in his direction.

“No, no, just thinking.”

“Uh-huh, sure. I could read it on your face.”

“Please don’t kick my ass, because we both know you could accidentally kill me in the process.” Iwaizumi laughs and shakes his head, turning back to talk to Oikawa. Matsukawa feels a set of eyes watching him, and it’s not Hanamaki, for once. 

Sliding his eyes to the left, he notices a flicker of movement in the shadows behind them, paired with a small gasp as whatever it is darts back. He resists the urge to roll his eyes in amusement, instead silently waiting for their follower to make his next move.

And move he does. In the blink of an eye, their silent shadow bolts across the hallway and ducks into another secret passageway, sliding in so rapidly that Matsukawa thinks he would have missed it if he blinked. 

He stares, stunned, at the space where the secret passageway entrance is perfectly sealed, looking like an ordinary part of the wall. How _many_ of those did the kid have?

“Iwa-chan, did you want someone to take a look at Rhea whilst we’re here?”

“Oh yeah. Thanks for reminding me. Prince Ushijima, would I be able to request some help with my horse?” 

“Of course. I’m sure Michimiya would willingly give all of your horses a health check.” Hanamaki quietly cheers, agreeing in his own way, and Matsukawa nods his head thankfully. Oikawa clicks his tongue against the roof of his mouth.

“I’m sure Kronus is as healthy as ever, but I’ll accept your offer since we’re travelling far.”

“Mhm. If need be, your horses can lodge here and we’ll lend you some.”

“That’s… A gracious offer, but no thank you. Not unless there’s a serious problem.” Ushijima nods seriously at Matsukawa, accepting the guards explanation without offense. Maybe Oikawa could take a few lessons from him. 

The rest of the journey down, Matsukawa keeps glancing around, trying to spot the tag-along that vanished into the walls moments ago. It’s only in the courtyard he glimpses the shadow again, moving behind the stables like a _ninja_.

“Michimiya.” From where she’s brushing through Hades mane, Michimiya stands to attention, saluting so suddenly that she thunks the horse brush against her forehead. Sawamura snorts a tiny laugh as he picks the dirt out of Hades hooves, careful to avoid the frog. The corners of Ushijima’s lips twitch up at her clumsiness. Michimiya is as close to a friend as he’s ever had outside the palace walls.

“Y-Yes, your Highness?” 

“I’d like you to check the Seijou horses for general health problems, starting with Rhea, if you’d please.”

“Oh! Of course~! Uh… Which one is Rhea again?” Her sheepish little grin and whispered tone draw a laugh from Iwaizumi as he holds up a hand.

“She’s my horse; the dappled grey.” Michimiya takes on a serious expression.

“The chubby one, right? I noticed that when she first came in. What’s her diet like?” Iwaizumi and Michimiya pair off, heading towards the back of the stable to talk about Rhea, her habits, and her recent moods. Whilst they do that, Ushijima has other stablehands ready up one of his horses bred for endurance, and a personal favourite of his - Jupiter.

The blue roan, Neptune, is already back in her stable, and nuzzles Ushijima as he passes to see Jupiter. He rewards her with a sugar cube before crossing his arms as he watches the stablehands prepare Jupiter for the long journey.

A cross between a Shire and Percheron horse, Jupiter is the largest horse in the stable. Only his foal, Saturn, looks like he’ll be anywhere near the same size. (Ushijima feels a little sorry for Venus, a small horse with a son quickly catching up to her size.) 

Jupiter’s magnificent markings of mostly dark red and a few splatterings of cream, paired with his black mane means this tri-colour horse is Ushijima’s pride and joy.

“For a despicable person, you have an alright horse.”

“... Coming from you, I’ll take that as a compliment.” Oikawa dips his head in agreement as he reaches out and rests a hand on Jupiter’s face. He has a white star on his forehead, but tiny spots of the creamy-white on his dark red face look like the sky at sunrise, when dawn colours are interrupted by a splattered streak of glowing dots. Stars are pretty, Oikawa thinks, and Jupiter has thousands of them all over his coat. 

As much as he ‘hates’ Ushijima, he can appreciate the good taste.

“Oikawa.” There’s massive relief in Iwaizumi’s voice as he calls his boyfriend over. Loyally, the Prince steps to Iwaizumi’s side, resting a hand on the small of his back to listen to Michimiya’s health assessment, although the bright smile on her face gives away that it’s nothing bad, and that explains Iwaizumi’s premature relief.

“Okay, so! Rhea is perfectly healthy! I ran my hands all over her, and there was no flinching, kicking, or trying to arch away from them like she would if she were hurting. Her mood swings can be explained three ways. Either she’s stressed from the constantly new surroundings, she could be in the very early stages of pregnancy, or she’s just struggling to keep up and low on energy! I’d recommend increasing her feed and giving her extra reassurance, as a solution to all three!”

“ _Extra_ food?” Oikawa might be baffled, but Michimiya nods her head sagely. 

“I know she’s… Chubby, but this is a situation where eating more might help. If she starts fluctuating her weight, the journey is too much of a toll on her. If she _gains_ weight, you’ll need to get her checked again, because it could be pregnancy or she’s adapted to the new workload.”

“R-Right… I’ll pay attention to that.” Iwaizumi moves into the stall to pat Rhea down, giving her a ton of affection as an apology for making her come all this way. If the ‘elegant’ way she promptly sits herself down in the straw to roll in means anything, she’s happy for the break!

“Owawa!” He whips his head around at the shout, sounding so much like his name, spotting Kuroo making grabby hands from Sawamura’s front. Considering Sawamura looks like he’s about to start shovelling manure, Oikawa can firmly sympathize.

“Sawa-chan, let me take Tetsu-chan for now~.”

“Hmm? Oh, okay. I forgot he was there, to be honest.” Kuroo squawks angrily and makes sure to _try_ and smack Sawamura as he’s lifted out of the substitute sling, but pretending to flail like a normal baby does nothing when Sawamura is well aware of what he was trying to do.

“Looks like he’s feeling restless. Maybe you should let him stumble around a bit.” 

“... I would, but if he gets taken out by the horses, we came all this way for nothing. And I am _not_ happy with being in Shiratorizawa for no reason.” Sawamura laughs as Oikawa adjusts Kuroo in the sling, poking his chubby baby limbs around until he’s in a position relatively comfortable for both of them.

“I suppose I can let him crawl around in… Okaneos?” 

“Okeanos.”

“Mhm, that place.” Sawamura pauses in saddling Hades up, Matsukawa working the bit into his mouth.

“Oikawa… I don’t suppose you know what sort of terrain Okeanos is… Do you?”

“Not a clue! But I _do_ recognise that it’s named in the ancient language, so I’m expecting ruins of some kind, maybe a desert. Considering the size of it on the map, definitely a desert.” Opening his mouth with a slight expression of distress and concern, Sawamura doesn’t get the chance to correct Oikawa before Ushijima is pulling himself up onto Jupiter and clicking his tongue.

“If we wish to reach Mt Boobook before nightfall, we must leave immediately.” Hanamaki snorts as he _tries_ to hold back his laughter, but to no avail.

“B-Boobook!” His choked tone of disbelief and hilarity is enough to set Oikawa off, which in turn landslides into Iwaizumi laughing, and finally, Matsukawa’s muffled giggle. Even Sawamura is vaguely amused, and he’s heard of Mt Boobook before.

It is, obviously, a mountain. But a certain species of diurnal owl lived there, the Northern Boobook. It could commonly been seen flying through the dense mountain forests, hunting down prey. 

Locals believed the Boobooks were the reincarnated souls of their loved ones, reborn from the desire to protect their family. So these daytime owls were treated as gods, with shrines set up to offer prayers and offerings, and sacrificial mice, voles, and shrews released into the woodland on certain festivals. 

The custom had been in place since Shiratori was first founded, and recent observations had shown it actually had a _beneficial_ effect on the forest ecosystem if the amounts of ‘sacrifices’ were monitored and approved closely.

“... If you are done laughing, shall we leave?” The four quickly recollect themselves, preparing to move out. Remarkably, Ushijima now has a backpack of his own, though it looks to be brimming with weaponry rather than supplies. By the time they’ve left the courtyard of Shiratori palace, Matsukawa’s counted the outline of 12 different _types_ of weapons outlined in the backpack.

“So… Ushijima? You’re on your second Trial, right?”

“Yes, that is correct.”

“What actually _is_ your Trial?” There’s a pause where Ushijima tilts his head, pondering why he hasn’t told them before.

“I have to bring back an appendage from three different beasts. Most preferably rare and dangerous ones; like the chimera or hydra.”

“... Holy shit. Your father _really_ didn’t hold back.”

“No? Why would he? It is a Trial of strength, after all.” The honesty and bluntness of Ushijima’s words stun Matsukawa back to silence, although Oikawa does let a tut escape his lips. Their afternoon set off sees the temperatures stabilizing, especially as they’re now heading south. The only problem with that is where there was once snow…

There’s going to be rain. A lot of it. 

“Uhh… I hate to interrupt absolutely nothing, but those clouds are kinda… Ominous.” Oikawa’s gaze turns skywards, narrowing in a glare at the grey and black mass Hanamaki speaks of. It’s a carpet for the sky, and it promises a downpour.

“Hanamaki-san is right. We should move fast, since we’re currently on floodplains.”

“We’re WHAT?!”

“On the floodplains.” Sawamura sighs, pinching the bridge of his nose as Oikawa starts bickering with Ushijima, although it’s entirely one-sided, since Ushijima just states back facts instead of saying something equally mean in response. 

Hanamaki and Matsukawa are _extremely_ amused and content with watching as Oikawa works himself into a fury thanks to Ushijima’s dry, factual tone.

“Oikawa, cut it out. Less time arguing is more time getting somewhere safe.” It’s easy to understand Iwaizumi’s apprehension. Not to mention the thin layer of anger. He’s starting to get pissed off that wherever they go, water and _drowning_ seems to linger. Sawamura understands, so he nods in agreement.

“We need to get to higher ground, quickly.” Ushijima nudges Jupiter from a trot into a canter, smoothly riding to the front of the group from where he was formerly at the centre.

“This way. We’ll need to cross a river, but there’s an inn on a hill not too far from here.”

“Is that the closest safe place?”

“Yes. Unless you’d like to risk getting cut off in the middle of the floodplains.”

“No, thank you.” With a tiny huff of amusement and the crease of a smile, Ushijima clicks his tongue and Jupiter ascends into a gallop, elegantly flowing across the floodplains like he’s made of galaxies and hurtling through space. It wouldn’t be hard to believe, with his coat of magic and stardust.

“I’ll lead the way! Try to keep up!” Oikawa squawks in offense, but Hanamaki catches the tease and takes the bait.

“Keep up?! I’ll do one better than that!” With a small nudge, Hanamaki and Persephone are bursting from the very back to match up with Ushijima and Jupiter. He can’t overtake them, since he doesn’t know the way, but at the very least, he can get two or three hoofbeats ahead before dropping back. Ushijima grins at the challenge, leaning forwards in his saddle to increase speed.

Running alongside Rhea and Iwaizumi, who are once again trailing at the back of the pack, Sawamura rolls his eyes - although he can’t hide his smile. It’s hard, in this day and age, to remember that these boys are only 19. 

Their royal lifestyle and the duty to lead, protect, and provide for their country means they don’t get to have fun much. They don’t usually get to race, challenge each other, and just be _immature_ , like they really should be at their age.

It’s really not fair that they should have the responsibilities of a country or _empire_ placed on their shoulders at the young age of 19, when there’s still so much to learn and do. It’s wonderful, Sawamura thinks, to see them acting their age and enjoying this small amount of freedom the Trial gives them. 

On the other hand… Whilst the sling makes for smooth travel at a walk or trotting pace, galloping really doesn’t sit well for Kuroo. He claps his hands over his mouth as a queasy burp escapes, the jolting and rocking motion giving him bruises and _seasickness_.

“Hey, Oikawa! Better speed up or we’re gonna leave you in the dust!”

“Is that any way to talk to your Prince, Makki~?” 

“I thought you said we were on this trip as friends~!” Oikawa’s booming laugh doesn’t help Kuroo’s situation _at all_ , only worsening it if anything. His nausea builds and builds and curdles in his stomach and he just knows he’s going to be sick any minute now.

“Here’s the river. Though I’m sure the bridge was supposed to be exactly here…” Rushing waters that are much faster and higher than their usual levels do _not_ bode well. It’s a sign that the rains have already begun, and the swell of the river is due to runoff from the mountains and hilly landscape surrounding them.

“Uhh… Ushijima… Is that- Is that the bridge we’re looking for?” Hanamaki points downstream, where the river is particularly vicious as it turns into rapids through a series of rocks - although it’s usually gentle enough to be peaceful like a babbling brook. Trapped in a ‘v’ of rocks, there’s a wooden plank Hanamaki points to.

“... Yes, I believe that might be what remains of it.”

“I think we might be in a bit of trouble then.” Oikawa pulls Kronus to a stop by their sides, tugging him back a good amount as the riverbank beneath his hooves crumbles a little.

“We need to find a wider part of the river. It might be calmer there, especially if it’s just before a bottleneck. Ushiwaka, is there any part of this river like that?” Perplexed, the Prince of Shiratori holds his chin in thought as he closes his eyes, visually travelling down the river according to the maps he’s memorised. He peels them open slowly.

“Yes. But it’s quite far. We’d be safer crossing here than travelling that far and letting the waters deepen.” Oikawa sighs, looking over his shoulder as Iwaizumi, Matsukawa, and Sawamura catch up. Matsukawa could easily have caught up, but he seems to be… Distracted, constantly glancing in concern at the path they’ve left behind.

“Iwa-chan, are you okay crossing here?” The knight narrows his eyes at the water, tilting his head a little.

“Should be. It doesn’t look too deep, and I’ll be on Rhea’s back anyways.”

“Okay. We’ll cross in twos, with the larger and stronger of the horses on the downstream side. Just in case there’s a surge.” Iwaizumi doesn’t seem very eager at the idea, quickly pairing up with Oikawa, since Kronus is strong enough to support Rhea whilst being fast enough to cross as quick as possible.

Ushijima and Jupiter are selected to keep Persephone from being swept down the river, since she’s especially lithe but not very strong in terms of fighting the current. Ushijima also offers a hand to Sawamura, pulling him up onto Jupiter’s back. It would be absolutely _stupid_ to let him try crossing on his own feet.

That leaves Hades alone, but Oikawa is quick to soothe over Sawamura’s worries about Matsukawa, since Hades is much stronger than he looks and fully capable of crossing alone, though it’s safer for him to do so than to try and support Rhea or Persephone.

“You guys go on ahead. There’s… Something I want to check out back this way.” Without waiting for their response, even though he can hear Oikawa and Iwaizumi shouting for him to come back, Matsukawa turns Hades around and canters back the way they came. 

“Wait for me at the inn! I’ll find you!” There isn’t much time. He knows these flat grassy fields could be flooded in about a half hour, but there’s something he needs to do.

Something he knows that the others most likely don’t.

The little shadow that followed them through the palace had joined them on their journey.

Matsukawa slows to a trot as they come across a small patch of greenery, three thin and young trees surrounded by tough, wetland bushes. Something tells him to stop here, and he dismounts Hades as raindrops start to fall from the sky. They’re few in quantity, but large and heavy, and the clouds above promise there’s much more to come.

“I know you’re in there. Come out, I’m not going to be mad.” Silence. But Matsukawa has a trick up his sleeve. He reaches into his pocket and pulls out a small paper bag of horse treats, pickpocketed from Oikawa at some point on their adventure. The rustle of the paper bag is enough to elicit a response, a soft snicker and then the sound of tiny hooves coming closer.

“P-Pluto, no! You traitor!” A welsh pony in faded dun colours emerges from the undergrowth with their sneaky shadow holding onto the reins with a huffy pout and puffed out cheeks, eyes narrowed in irritation. Matsukawa’s smirk flashes into a smile as he hands the horse treat over to Pluto, then a small roll of bread to the younger Shiratori Prince. He eyes it suspiciously, arms crossed.

“Not hungry? You’re a long way from home and probably haven’t eaten in a while...” Those puffed out cheeks only increase in size as the Prince holds his breath, eyeing up the bread and wondering if it’s worth the risk of poisoning. 

His stomach growls. 

Raindrops soak the roll, and he makes his decision, snatching it away and turning his back on Matsukawa as he hungrily devours it to fill his empty belly. Matsukawa holds back a chuckle at the sounds of a child stuffing his face.

“You got a name, kid?” The child Prince whirls back around, pointing a finger covered in breadcrumbs right in Matsukawa’s face.

“I am a Prince! You shouldn’t address me so casually, civilian!” Raising a thick eyebrow, disappointment tugging his lips into a frown, Matsukawa pushes the finger away from him.

“I was impressed you’d followed us this far, but if you’re going to be rude, I may as well let you try and make your _own_ way across the river.” The boy falters, dipping his head shyly, apologetically. He probably didn’t realise what a big task he was taking on just by following them - or by following his big brother, which seemed to be his intention.

“M’sorry…” 

“So, do you have a name of am I just gonna call you ‘kid’ all the time?”

“Tsutomu! Goshiki Tsutomu! You can call me, uh, by my last name!” Matsukawa nods, patting Pluto’s neck as the pony nuzzles closer looking for more treats. Hades snickers, jealously nudging the little pony away from his rider, though it’s gentle enough that it’s almost like Hades is treating the pony as a foal. Pluto is tiny enough compared to him.

“Hades, don’t be jealous, you silly nugget~.” Goshiki looks up at the bigger horse with sparkles in his eyes, but quickly ducks behind Matsukawa when Hades gives a friendly snort in his direction. He’s not scared, Matsukawa realises, just apprehensive.

“It’s okay, he won’t hurt you. Hades is a gentle giant, I promise.”

“Like my brother?” The comparison has Matsukawa quickly hold a hand up to his mouth to choke back the snort and laugh that would come out, and he swallows it down with a watery sheen of joy in his eyes, dimples on his cheeks as he grins.

“Yes, like Ushijima.” With an affirmative nod, Goshiki reaches out and pets Hades blaze, incredibly gentle and focused despite his excitement. A rumble of thunder breaks Matsukawa’s attention away from the boy Prince.

“That’s not good. Hurry, on your horse- pony. We need to get across the river before it swells and becomes turbulent.” Nodding, Goshiki leaps onto Pluto like there’s wind beneath his feet, but lands softly on the saddle, and Matsukawa remembers Semi in the palace saying something about elemental magic. The young prince must be using air with incredible ability, or maybe it’s an unconscious action. Either way, Matsukawa doesn’t have time to stop and think.

“This way, as quick as you can.” He stays at a canter, so that Goshiki and Pluto don’t drop too far behind. It doesn’t matter how fast Pluto is for a welsh pony, he’s still got little legs. The rain is coming down heavier now, almost like the drums of war, and Matsukawa can’t even _see_ the river. But he can feel it.

Somehow, he just- just _knows_ where it is, and where his friends are.

“We- We have to cross here?!” Goshiki stares at the rushing river and Matsukawa bites his bottom lip as he nods. The river has swollen its banks. It’s faster and rougher and _angry_. It’s not going to be easy to cross. Sensing Goshiki’s nerves, Matsukawa plasters on a reassuring smile.

“Don’t worry, I’ll be on the downstream side. I won’t let the water take you away.” Screwing up his face in confusion, Goshiki looks up at him.

“You think I’m worried about _that_? No way!”

“Hm?”

“Look! There’s tons of rocks just under the surface! Pluto could get his hoof stuck between them.” Matsukawa can’t see them. But maybe… Maybe Goshiki can because he’s looking _with_ the water?

“Alright, where do you suggest crossing then?” Goshiki shrugs. This is definitely the safest place in terms of the water. He can’t control it when it’s moving this fast, this violently, and this is the widest part of the overflowing river which also makes it the calmest.

“I- There isn’t anywhere else… But Pluto-...” The Prince’s hands shake as he grips the reins, tears dripping down his cheeks to join the heavy raindrops, and Matsukawa understands what he’s thinking of. What he’s going to do. He leans down and squeezes Goshiki’s shoulder comfortingly.

“Equines are still wild animals at heart, Goshiki. He’ll be fine.” Nodding, the boy slides from the saddle onto the ground, removing the saddle and reins and hugging Pluto tightly, crying into his neck, before he draws back and wipes at his face with his soaking wet sleeve. It does nothing.

“I’ll come back for you, Pluto! I promise!” Under the clap of thunder, he smacks his hand flatly against Pluto’s flank and the small pony rears up in surprise before galloping off for cover. He’s free now, but he’s tame. He’ll come back to Goshiki when he returns in the morning, but for now, this is the safest option. 

Surrounded by mountains, there’s no way the pony will stray far from the field and get lost. There’s a fresh source of water and lush grass when the flooding levels are low. Pluto will be fine here tonight, and Goshiki finds strength in that reasoning.

“Come on, kid.” Voice soft and barely audibly through the harsh rain and growing storm, Matsukawa offers out a hand. Goshiki sniffles loudly as he takes the hand, but as one arm clings tightly around Matsukawa’s waist with the other holding onto Pluto’s riding equipment, he manages to mumble.

“I thought I told you not to call me that…” Matsukawa pretends the storm drowns it out, easing Hades into the fast flow of the river. Goshiki grips tighter, burying his face in Matsukawa’s back as their legs are submerged. It doesn’t feel that much different to how their clothes cling soddenly to them in the rain.

Fighting the current of the river is hard and dangerous, but Hades is strong enough to do it. He’s halfway across when a flash of lightning illuminates the sky, accompanied by the loudest clap of thunder so far. Hades may be well trained, but… He’s still a horse.

“Easy, boy! Easy!” Panicking in the middle of a ferocious river is not where Matsukawa wants his horse to be. He’d much rather be safe on the other side. Hades rears up, almost throwing his rider and Goshiki from the saddle, but Matsukawa clings tightly to the reins and Goshiki holds tightly to him.

“Hades, calm down, boy… Calm down…” It seems to be working, until there’s another tumultuous roll of thunder, and Hades bolts in panic. Fortunately for Matsukawa, he pulls them out on the right side of the river, but there’s no controlling what direction he goes in and Matsukawa can _feel_ they’re going in the wrong direction. 

He holds his breath and does his best to somehow communicate with Hades, via tugging the reins gently, or nudging him behind the ear, and he’s not sure _how_ it works, but it does.

“There’s the inn!” Sure enough, on a small hill that Matsukawa can only make out by squinting, there’s a tall, crooked building that must be the inn his friends are sheltering at. He can feel their presence, calling out to him, guiding him closer.

“Mhm! Hold on just a little longer!” The mud beneath them is saturated and slippery and Matsukawa fears that Hades might slip, but the horse is steady and balanced and gets them most of the way up the hill at a gallop. 

Nearer the top, he slows to a trot, because the ground here is drier thanks to the rainwater running down the slopes instead of seeping into the earth. The first thing they encounter is the stable, and Matsukawa quickly loops Hades reins around a wooden pole near to Persephone’s stall.

“Stay with him. I’ll be back as soon as possible.”

“O- Okay!” Goshiki waits, standing close to the horses. At least he’s dry under the stable roof, although he doesn’t like the sound of it hammering down. Matsukawa momentarily exits back into the rain, running to the front door of the inn and entering quickly. He sighs with relief at the blast of warmth, hunching over and shaking his hair to get rid of at least a _few_ clinging droplets.

“Mattsun!” He looks up with a blink of surprise as Oikawa throws a towel over his head, still clothed in his cold, soaked outfit.

“Oikawa? I thought you’d be in the baths by now!” The Prince waves his hand casually in dismissal, scrunching up his nose.

“Ushiwaka’s presence means we get two baths free, but not all of us would fit in one tub. Makki and Sawa-chan are with him now, Iwa-chan is warming Tetsu-chan up by the fire. Plus, if you think I’m bathing with _Ushiwaka_ , you’re dead wrong.” Matsukawa snorts with amusement, and then stops. Purses his lips in thought.

“... Oikawa, how good are you at keeping secrets?” Folding his arms and cocking his hip so he rest heavily on one side, Oikawa raises an eyebrow as if to question why Matsukawa is even asking him this.

“Considering I still haven’t told Makki that you’re the one who ‘accidentally’ shredded his favourite, **hideous** breeches, I’d say very. And then there’s your secret about that time you gave Iwa-chan food poisoning. Oh! And-”

“Okay, Okay! I get it! _Thank_ you!” Matsukawa exhales stressfully, running a hand through his soaked, flattened hair.

“I have another secret I need you to keep. A huge one.” Oikawa’s eyes flash with a gleam, a hunger for knowledge, a desire for this… Secret. They look around to make sure nobody’s watching, then slip silently from the inn to the stables. 

Iwaizumi comes down the stairs to find the welcome room of the inn empty, and there’s no sign of Oikawa at the bar or restaurant part either. From his arms, Kuroo grumbles impatiently. He might be warm and dry from staying by the fire, but as comfortable as it is wrapped in a blanket against Iwaizumi’s chest, this 6 month old desperately wants a warm, steaming bath.

“Shh, shh… I’m just looking for Oikawa.”

_“BA!”_

“Yes, I know~. We’ll find him soon, don’t worry, Tetsu.” Growling as best he can, the Sorcerer knows he has no way of making Iwaizumi understand. It’s likely Hanamaki will tell Ushijima the truth at some point - unless he forgets again, which seems even _more_ likely - but so far, no one that knows he’s actually 19 years old has managed to catch Iwaizumi away from Oikawa to tell him. 

A burst of thunder masks the door being thrown open.

“Sheesh! It’s really coming down out there!”

“Like dumping a bucket over your head.” Iwaizumi smiles and walks over to greet them back inside, when he suddenly grinds to halt. Matsukawa and Oikawa are drying themselves off just to the side of the door. But right in front of the inn door is a drenched _child_ , and Iwaizumi instantly recognises him from the Shiratorizawa palace.

“What- What is the second Prince of Shiratori doing here?!” Matsukawa and Oikawa look at him with wide, guilty eyes, caught in the act, as Goshiki ducks behind Matsukawa like he’s a shield. Kuroo blinks, staring at them. This was… An interesting development. He wasn’t expecting for Goshiki to join them.

The worry now is that he might recognise Kuroo, having followed the sorcerer around in awe when he set Ushijima’s first trial, and give away his true identity to Oikawa. If he did that, Kuroo would have to fail Oikawa on his Trial.

“Uhh… Surprise~?” Matsukawa clamps his mouth shut as Iwaizumi glares at him. He readjusts Kuroo in his arms, then stomps over, putting a free hand on terrified Goshiki’s shoulder. Iwaizumi gasps.

“You’re soaked! And freezing! Come upstairs quickly, I’ve got a fire going.” Goshiki’s eyes light up in excitement at the prospect of a fire, following after Iwaizumi with a warm hand on his back and soft voice asking if he’s okay. Oikawa and Matsukawa stare deadpan after him until Iwaizumi and Goshiki disappear from sight.

“... I can’t believe my boyfriend just adopted _another_ one.” Matsukawa bursts into an ugly guffaw, wiping away a tear as his laughter increases before he finally calms himself down enough to tease.

“Hands off, Oikawa~. I saved the kid first.”

“Sorry, Mattsun. You’ll have to take it up with Iwa-chan.” Chuckling, Matsukawa takes off his drenched top layer, wringing it out on a towel the innkeeper set down for that exact purpose.

“As long as Ushijima doesn’t find out, we’re okay.”

“I’m up for anything that pisses Ushiwaka off. Especially if we reveal Goshiki’s been with us the whole time once we get back to Shiratorizawa.”

“You’re horrible.”

“You didn’t tell us all this time!”

“I thought he’d turn back before we got this far!”

“At what point _were_ you going to tell us?!”

“Uh…” Matsukawa falters, rubbing the back of his head and averting his gaze in a guilty way that’s telltale of his answer. He was kind of waiting to see if Goshiki would follow them the whole way without being noticed by the others, but he couldn’t leave the kid out there on the floodplains in this weather. He’d have frozen to death.

“You weren’t, were you?” 

“My bad.” Oikawa punches him between the ribs as punishment, waltzing off as Matsukawa hunches over with a grunt as the wind leaves his lungs. 

“Hurry up, Mattsun~! It’ll be our turn to bathe soon!”

“Coming…” Bounding up the stairs with his usual enthusiasm, Oikawa slows to a stop when Hanamaki steps out the bathing room in nothing more than a towel around his waist.

“... Makki, please put clothes on.”

“Huh? I’m air drying, leave me be.”

“We’re in public! This is an inn!” Hanamaki whines, flopping forwards so his chin rests on Oikawa’s head with damp arms thrown over his shoulders.

“But the innkeeper said we’re the only ones heeeere.” Huffing, Oikawa gently pushes Hanamaki off.

“Go get dressed. Then, come to the room with the fireplace. Bring Sawamura, _don’t_ bring Ushiwaka.” As confused as Hanamaki is, he nods and recedes, not asking any questions when his Prince uses that kind of tone. It’ll be easy for him to bring Sawamura along and leave Ushijima behind, considering the sleeping arrangements.

Being royalty, Ushijima and Oikawa were expected to stay with at least one guard each, whilst Sawamura was seen as suspicious in the eyes of the innkeeper - without any royal or noble assets.

Therefore, their rooming was as such;

Oikawa had the luck of staying with Iwaizumi, and a cot had been set up in their room for Kuroo, which he loathed, judging just from the expression he made when the innkeeper announced it. Maybe it was the closeness of the duo that led to them being paired, or maybe it was because Oikawa looked weaker than he actually was.

Matsukawa’s Glaive was probably the main influence for him being placed with Ushijima, since it appeared as the strongest and most intimidating weapon. Little did the innkeeper know that Matsukawa would most likely sleep through any danger and Ushijima would have to protect _him_.

Henceforth, Sawamura was stuck with Hanamaki as his roommate. Usually, that wouldn’t bother him, because he gets along well with the slightly cheeky guard, but the look Hanamaki had given him when it was announced was enough to make Sawamura sigh as he looked up at the ceiling. He feared what Hanamaki had planned. Probably something ending in destruction.

Sawamura exhales as he sinks deeper into the warm tub, stretching out his legs now Hanamaki has gone back to the room and Ushijima is drying off behind the bamboo parting screen. It doesn’t matter that the water isn’t as warm as it first was. It’s still a luxury after all their travelling and camping. Even as the leader of Karasuno, Sawamura spent more times in towns and got to bathe more.

“Sawamura, you’ll catch a cold if you stay there too long.” He half-opens one eye at the click of the door, Ushijima preparing to leave.

“I won’t be long. I think the others would kill me if I kept them from warm water too long.” Ushijima’s lips quirk up in agreement and he leaves the room with the same proud stride as ever. He looks like royalty, even in his plain white cotton pyjamas. He passes by Oikawa in the hallway, who carries a tray stocked to the brim with food. Of course, the Seijou Prince turns his nose up as he passes Ushijima, making his dislike clear.

Ignoring it with a roll of the eyes, Ushijima enters the room designated his and Matsukawa’s for tonight. He’s surprised to see Matsukawa’s backpack and haversack at the foot of the smaller bed, but it makes sense that he arrived whilst Ushijima was bathing. That also explains Oikawa’s hurry to the room with a fireplace, carrying mounds of food. A substantial amount of nutrition would prevent Matsukawa falling ill. 

What Ushijima didn’t know is that the food is mostly _not_ for Matsukawa.

“I brought a little bit of everything because I didn’t know what you liked~.”

“Thank you, big brother Oikawa!!!” Oikawa grins as Goshiki picks a few things off the tray. Neither Iwaizumi nor Matsukawa are quite sure how it happened, but Goshiki had taken a shine to Oikawa and instantly started calling him his ‘big brother’. Oikawa was very smug about it. Ushijima was Goshiki’s brother by blood, but Oikawa was his brother by _choice_. In his mind, that was a win.

“Eat as much as you like~.” Despite having had a bread roll from Matsukawa earlier, Goshiki samples and scoffs many of the various foods on the plate, although he noticeably avoids the seng qua and chi qua. It must be a strong hatred for it, since he pushes aside any of the food touching it too. It doesn’t go to waste since Matsukawa picks at little bits too.

“You should eat your vegetables too, Goshiki.” The way Iwaizumi chastises him reminds Oikawa of a father figure, and it just solidifies his suspicion about Iwaizumi ‘adopting’ another one. He tries to count in his head all the adopted ones so far.

First it was Kindaichi, which was the start of something they should have seen coming. After that, it was Kyoutani, who Iwaizumi had personally mentored. Then came Watari and Yahaba, struggling to set up their stall in the castle courtyard without an official signature, which Iwaizumi had given them as a last resort.

There were many more who came and went, most of them children who wanted to train for the royal guard but couldn’t handle the training. A few of them made it through and entered the ranks at the lowest level, vowing under Iwaizumi’s watchful eye and encouragement to get stronger and wiser quickly.

“I don’t like those ones.”

“Ah, but you need to eat them to get stronger.” Goshiki looks at him flatly for a few seconds as Iwaizumi holds out a peeled phoenix eye seed for Kuroo to nibble on gummily as his teeth haven’t come through yet. His determination is doing enough to mush the chestnut-tasting seed as is.

"If I eat them, I’ll get stronger?”

“Slowly but surely.” The two types of qua are gone in an instance, Goshiki chewing them with his face pulled in disgust. He swallows and lets his tongue hang out as if trying to get rid of the flavour. Oikawa laughs, obviously, and Matsukawa ruffles Goshiki’s hair in sympathy.

“Nice one, kiddo~.”

“Okay, I’m here! What did… You… Want...?” Hanamaki trails off, eyes widening as he bursts through the door, dragging Sawamura by the wrist. Matsukawa clears his throat and gestures for them to come in as Goshiki innocently bites into a whole persimmon. Hanamaki tugs Sawamura in, still shocked, closing the door behind them.

“Are you seeing what I’m seeing?”

“Yes, Hanamaki, I think I am.” A little confused but mostly concerned, Sawamura crouches down in front of Goshiki. He knows the young Prince personally from his many journeys across multiple kingdoms and countries, and Goshiki knows him too. _Especially_ that look of disappointment.

“Tsutomu, what are you doing here…? It’s dangerous, and you tried following us on your own… Does anyone know you’re with us?” Guiltily, the 10 year old shakes his head, eyes downcast.

“Did you at least leave a note?” Again, Goshiki shakes his head, shrinking into himself as Sawamura sighs in disappointment, putting a hand on each shoulder. He circles his thumbs comfortingly, sensing the building distress in the kid, which could lead to impending tears.

“It’s okay, it’s okay. You can stay here tonight, but in the morning, I’ll take you back to the palace, alri-”

“No!” He pushes Sawamura back, eyes wide and desperate.

“I don’t want to go back, Daichi-san, I want to come with you! Please! I can do this!”

“Why are you so determined to come with us? Tsutomu, this is dangerous! You could get killed!” Pouting, Goshiki’s eyes slide to Oikawa, as if singling out the Prince. He looks back to the floorboards, half eaten persimmon in his lap as he presses his fingers together - almost shyly.

“Cus I’ll never get a Trial of my own… I’m the second born, and only half royal blood… I want to prove to father that I’m strong too! That I can do it!” Oikawa nods in approval at the reasoning. He’s wanted to do his Trials since he learnt about them around 12. Goshiki isn’t much younger than that, and he would have learnt earlier due to having a big brother.

Unfortunately, that meant he would never get a Trial of his own, as he said.

“Hey, kid… Are you planning to fight for the throne...?” Hanamaki’s question casts the room a few degrees cooler, the implications of civil war weaved into his curiosity. The ten year old shakes his head, but it isn’t as firm as his other reactions.

“Not yet… I’m not old enough at the moment… And probably not strong enough to go against Wakatoshi, either… But I will one day! I won’t give up!” Matsukawa tries to smile in encouragement like the others are doing. He tries, but he fails. Because fighting his brother who's in line for the throne could be seen as treachery.

If Goshiki does issue a challenge to Ushijima, and the court declares it void and denies the challenge, he could potentially be put to the death or exiled from Shiratori Empire. It wouldn’t matter that he was still a child, that he had royal blood. Just for being born first, Ushijima is the superior Prince, and the courts would support him in all cases.

“I’ll make my own Trial to do, right here and now, and I’ll prove to father that I’m not just the ‘second-born’! I’ll _make_ him acknowledge me!”

“You’ll have to train hard and practice lots.” Goshiki nods at Iwaizumi, eyes sparkling and his fists held excitedly in front of his chest.

“I will, I will!” He reaches into the small bag on his hip that Matsukawa hadn’t noticed before, since his long coat covered it. With his small hands, Goshiki pulls out what looks like metal pine needles, and a leather sleeve.

“I made these myself! Mama had some just like them, but I never got the chance to learn from her…” His smile wobbles a little, but he quickly paints it back on as he pulls the sleeve over his arm and loads the needles into what looks like a tiny version of Hanamaki’s bow.

“It’s kind of like a bow and arrow, but I trigger the spring from a looped cord around my thumb, so it shoots the needles out! See?” He demonstrates by holding his arm out straight towards the wall, and bending his thumb to pull on the cord that activates the mechanism to fire the weapon. The needle shoots out with incredible speed and _embeds_ itself in the wall, about half of the needle buried.

“That’s… Amazing!!! That’s incredible!” Flourishing under Hanamaki’s praise, Goshiki removes the other needles from the device before he accidentally shoots them off. He’s done _that_ one too many times.

“That’s not the half of it! I could easily coat them in poison, or manipulate a small amount of magic to surround them. But for that I need a source.” Worryingly, his gaze drifts to the fire. Sawamura frets and panics internally, using a gentle hand to turn Goshiki’s face back to him by his chin.

“That’s very nice, but you’re still not supposed to be here. Now come on. I think you need some rest.”

“B- But I’m not tired! It’s early!” Sawamura gives the ten year old a stern look, one that would probably even convince _Oikawa_ to do as told. Goshiki pouts, but dips his head.

“Okay… But only if I get to stay in the same room as Mattsun!” He leans over and clings to Matsukawa with puppy dog eyes, which earns him a smirk and affectionate pat to the head.

“I’m rooming with your brother. How about you stay with Takahiro and Sawamura, yeah? I promise you ‘Hiro is fun and awesome and the _best_ kind of person to stay with~.”

“I- Issei…” Hanamaki blushes a deep crimson which stands out against his pale skin, and Matsukawa chuckles lowly. He nudges Goshiki to his feet and over to Hanamaki.

“Go on. Make sure you wrap up warm.”

“He could join us for a bath first. It’s not like the tub is too small, and he’s probably just as cold and soaked as we are.” Faces with unreadable expressions, even Kuroo, look up at Oikawa. He blinks and tilts his head to the side.

“What? Why are you looking at me like that?” Iwaizumi grumbles in the back of his throat, speaking up when Oikawa look directly at him with innocent, curious eyes that capture his heart.

“It’s… Well… It’s kind of _creepy_ when you’re nice to someone… Especially a Shiratori Prince.”

“He’s a kid, Iwa-chan! I’m not gonna be mean to a kid, even if he _is_ related to Ushiwaka!”

“ _Half_ -related.” Goshiki chimes in through a mouthful of persimmon, the juice running down his chin. He holds his sticky hands out in front of him and tries to catch the juice with his tongue as it drips down his arms. With a huff of amusement, Sawamura takes a square of material out his back pocket and starts wiping him clean.

“Mucky pup. That hasn’t improved since you were a baby.”

“Unfair, Daichi-san!”

“How is that unfair, hmm~?” Goshiki falters, stumbling over his words as he tries to think of a reason.

“Because… Because… It just is!” He finishes with sticking his tongue out, a suitable end to any argument a ten year old can muster. It turns into a yawn as the days journeys catch up to him. Sawamura chuckles, shaking his shoulder to wake him up a little bit.

“Come on. Let’s get you to bed.”

“Fine.” He’s not happy - rather much the opposite - but the young Prince pushes himself to his feet anyways. He stumbles forwards into Hanamaki’s chest, but the archer catches him and steadies him on his feet with a grin.

“And you haven’t even had any wine yet!”

“Can I?”

“... No.” Hanamaki’s hesitation betrays that he was considering it, but stern, disapproving expressions from everyone else in the room convinced him in the end. Sawamura makes a mental note to check Hanamaki doesn’t actually _have_ any wine he could offer the child Prince. A little sip of beer wouldn’t hurt, but wine or mead? Goshiki would be blackout drunk.

“Bed. _Now_.” Sawamura steers both Hanamaki and Goshiki out of the room, stopping only to shut the door behind him as Goshiki whines and Hanamaki complies with amusement.

“... Well, I guess it’s our turn in the bath!” Oikawa grabs a bucket of dirt to put on the fire with great enthusiasm. He is _hyped up_ for a warm, luxurious bath. Iwaizumi sighs, pretending to be annoyed at the perkiness when they truth is that he feels very much the same way. Matsukawa tugs at his damp shirt.

“That would be nice, yes.” Kuroo throws both his chubby baby arms in the air in celebration.

“Baf! Baf!” Oikawa laughs softly, drowning out Iwaizumi and Matsukawa’s matching chuckles. The Knight adjusts Kuroo in his arms as he stands up, careful not to drop him.

“That’s right, a bath~. I get the feeling you’ll be speaking in no time.”

“It must be the sorcerer’s blood in him.” Iwaizumi hums in agreement, passing Kuroo over to Oikawa in the hallway.

“I’ll get our pyjamas. Make sure you don’t fill the tub too much, or it’ll overflow when we get in.”

“Iwa-chan, I might not have filled a tub before, but I _can_ do basic physics.” Sticking his tongue out, the last thing Oikawa expects is a gentle, lingering kiss to his cheekbone, but that’s exactly what comes his way.

“I know, Tooru~.”

“I- Iwa-chan…” With a smirk that says he’s fully aware of what he does to Oikawa’s emotions, Iwaizumi quickly slips into the room he and Oikawa will share to grab their pyjamas. Matsukawa leaves Oikawa standing starstruck in the hallway as he goes to get his own pyjamas.

“... Tetsu-chan, I am _so_ in love.”

“Ba-ba.”

“He’s so cute. I love him.” Kuroo purses his lips together in an emphasised pout, crossing his arms as best he can. Sometimes, it irritates him to have to hear Oikawa being wistful and lovey-dovey. Kuroo takes a deep breath, summoning his tiny, baby voice.

“Iwawa!”

“Shh! You’re so noisy, brat~.”

_“You can talk.”_ , Kuroo thinks. Alas, he cannot speak, thanks to the limits of his age-changing spell, but if he could he would certainly give Oikawa a run for his money in term of banter. He _really_ doesn’t want to change back in front of him though. Kuroo might not be shy, but he’s not exactly enthusiastic about showing his entire 19 year old naked glory off either. It’s embarrassing enough having his nappy changed.

“Maybe a bath will calm you down and shut you up.” The sorcerer decides he’s going to splash. A lot. Mostly in Oikawa’s direction. 

Whilst he’s deep in thought, Oikawa moves into the bathing room and fills the tub with warm water. Not too hot, because a drastic change in temperature could put them at even _more_ risk of catching an illness.

“There we go. That should be enough, right?”

“Ya.”

“... You are a _really_ weird baby.” Kuroo gurgles angrily, as if he’s trying to growl, because honestly? He’s had enough of Oikawa calling him weird. He’s smart! He’s the youngest, most powerful sorcerer of all of Nekoma! And in this current state, even younger.

“Oikawa, what did you do _this_ time?” The Prince doesn’t even bat an eye at the sudden appearance of someone behind him, answering with a bored, bland tone.

“You say that as if it’s my fault, Mattsun.”

“It usually is.”

“Rude!” Matsukawa snickers, placing his folded up pyjamas on a wooden table behind the bamboo parting screen. Even if they’re all going to be naked together in the tub, it’s considered rude not to cover up at least a _little_ before exiting the bathing room. Hanamaki obviously gave no shits, as Oikawa knows very well.

“Just shut up and get in before it gets cold.”

“Oh, of _course_ , your Highness. Since you asked **ever** so politely~.” The jolival teasing, paired with a smirk, has Oikawa rolling his eyes as Matsukawa undresses and slides into the tub with a thankful sigh. He peels open one eye as steam swirls around his face.

“Isn’t this too deep for Iwaizumi?”

“He should be okay, since it’s in a tub. We can drain some if it’s necessary.” Kuroo grins. Oh, he can definitely help ‘drain’ some. He has plans for that anyways.

“Ma’un!” He wriggles in Oikawa’s arms and makes grabby hands towards the guard. Matsukawa raises a thick, dubious eyebrow. He knows fully well of Kuroo’s true age, and his insistence means he must be plotting something. Then again, he’s never been one to say no to mischief.

“Pass him over, Oikawa.” The baby is wrestled out of his clothes, and Oikawa holds him out for Matsukawa to take. Whilst the Prince is occupied undressing himself, Kuroo makes a splashing motion to clue Matsukawa in on his plan. Amused, Matsukawa nods.

“Oikawa. Clothes.”

“Ah! Perfect timing, Iwa-chan! How does the bath look?” Iwaizumi glances at it, the corners of his lips creasing in a way that only Oikawa can read. Stress.

“It’s slightly deep, but..” Matsukawa makes a face like _‘I told you so’_ , and Oikawa shoots him a brief glare before softening his features for Iwaizumi again.

“Do you want me to drain some?”

“No. I-... There’s been so much water everywhere we go, I can’t-... I have to… I _need_ to try and at least cope with this fear. I can’t let it consume me every single time we have to cross a river or wash in a cove.”

“Iwa-chan…” Eyes slightly wide, Oikawa lunges forwards and hugs his boyfriend as tight as he can.

“Geh! Oikawa, you’re naked!” Laughing, the Prince holds tight as Iwaizumi struggles to be released, blushing up a storm. Matsukawa and Kuroo look at each other with deadpan expressions, shrugging in unison.

“You’re gonna be naked too, soon! Get in the tub, I-Wa-Chan!”

“Let go of me so I can undress then!” Stepping back with a hum of appreciation, Oikawa takes the articles of clothing passed to him so he can fold them up and put them to the side. They can ask the innkeeper if there’s anywhere to wash them later. 

He loves watching the ripple of Iwaizumi’s back muscles as he lifts his shirt over his head. Or the way his legs tense and stay firm as he slides off his trousers. He’s beautiful. Oikawa watches, because he finds beauty in everything Iwaizumi does. His physical attractiveness being one huge perk to their already blossoming relationship. 

(He can remember when Iwaizumi used to be a scrawny 6 year old - so scrawny that he almost got kicked out of knight training - and vowed to get stronger so Oikawa would stop calling him a toothpick.)

Cautiously, Iwaizumi climbs into the tub and slowly sinks down with his knees pulled up to his chest. His expression is tense and it’s clear he doesn’t like it, but he’s trying. He’s fighting to overcome this, and Oikawa is so proud of him. Silently, barely disturbing the bath water surface, Oikawa slips in next to him, interlocking his hand with one of Iwaizumi’s, leaning over to rest his head on Iwaizumi’s shoulder.

“You okay?” At Matsukawa’s question, Iwaizumi surprises himself by humming in agreement. Because he is. He’s okay. Maybe because they’re all so close together, or maybe because he can feel the wood of the tub against his back and beneath his feet. Either way, sitting in this deep water, he’s-... He’s astoundingly _fine_.

Not completely unaffected, because his hands shake and his smile is so tense, but he’s not fully freaking out. With that, Matsukawa gives Kuroo’s arm a light squeeze, giving him permission to unleash _chaos_.

The disturbing cackles of a baby gone wild echo in the walls in the bathing room, easily heard over Oikawa’s shouts for it to stop, Matsukawa and Iwaizumi laughing as wave after wave after wave is pushed into Oikawa’s face by tiny, devious hands.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hanamaki and chickens!!! Goshiki and Pluto!!! Kuroo being a little shit!!!!  
> What was your favourite part of this chapter~?
> 
> Sadly, the next chapter will only be an interlude because I've been so busy this month with Inktober and Comicon preparation! Sorry!
> 
> Please Kudos/Comment~!


	5. Interlude 1 - Inn

Considering that they went to bed in the late afternoon, Oikawa is not surprised to find himself waking up in darkness, before the sun has even blessed the sky. He doesn’t move as he first gathers his bearings, feeling Iwaizumi’s warmth beneath his fingertips, his hand resting on a bare chest. Smiling softly, he melts into the coziness of it and stays a little longer, moving his lips lazily to press the gentlest kisses to Iwaizumi’s shoulder. 

“Psst!” He jolts his head towards the door. Candlelight flickers out in the hallway, flooding under the door.

“I know you’re awake, don’t make me come in there and get you.” Oikawa rolls his eyes at Hanamaki’s whisper. He knows he’ll have to get up sooner or later, especially when he glances over at the cot and spots Kuroo sitting up, patiently _waiting_ for attention, but Iwaizumi is so warm and comfy…

“Oikawa!” The impatient hiss has him muffle a groan in the bedcovers, before he carefully drags himself away from Iwaizumi’s warmth. Amazingly, the knight remains sleeping when he would usually stir at the slightest movement. He must be exhausted, Oikawa thinks sadly as he looks at the black bags under Iwaizumi’s eyes.

“Oi-!”

“I’m coming!” Whisper-shouting back, Oikawa moves quickly and quietly across the room to scoop up Kuroo, grab a blanket to wrap him in, and slips silently out the door to glare at Hanamaki in the hallway. Hanamaki, of course, is immune to any of Oikawa’s intimidation techniques. He grins lazily with an excited sparkle in his eyes.

“Come on, there’s something we want to show you!”

“What could be so important it justifies dragging me from my bed, and Iwa-chan’s side this early in the morning!?” Hanamaki grabs his wrist, insistently tugging him along to the point where Oikawa almost trips down the stairs.

“If it’s just for breakfast, Makki, I swear I’m going to kill you.”

“No, no, just shut up and trust me, okay?”

“I regret the fact that I do, sometimes.” With a snort of laughter hidden behind his free hand, Hanamaki drags Oikawa to a pair of double doors that open into an expansive, clean room. The bamboo floor and walls of cedar give off an earthy smell, one that drowns out the sweat of the two people in the centre of the room.

“A sparring hall?!” Sawamura and Ushijima are equipped with matching bamboo staffs, kitted out in padding as a soft ‘armour’. Both of them are dripping with sweat, suggesting they’ve been at this for a long time, though Sawamura seems slightly more out of breath.

Just watching them for a split second reveals why, as he uses speed to avoid Ushijima’s attacks and land hits around him. Ushijima only has to spin on his heel to parry it, using much less energy. He seems calmer, too. Composed to a fault, if anything. But that’s not all Oikawa notices.

“Where’s Mattsun?” Lowering his voice, Hanamaki leans in close to Oikawa to whisper in his ear. There’s no telling if Ushijima - despite the fact that he’s sparring - would overhear otherwise.

“Took the kid to find his pony. The cover story is that you asked him to look for edible plants last night. He’s gonna grab something on the way back to make it believable.”

“Knowing Mattsun, he’ll bring back something poisonous.” Kuroo breaks into snickers, wriggling his little hands and feet until the blanket falls off.

“Tetsu-chan, you silly. You need that or you’ll get cold.”

“Nah!”

“Don’t say ‘no’ to me, you tiny demon!”

“ _NAH_!!!” Oikawa sneers down at the baby in arms, but Kuroo only sticks his tongue out in return as Hanamaki bends down to pick up the blanket. And that’s when disaster hits for Kuroo. Having been given a bottle around two hours ago - waking Iwaizumi from his sleep once again - his little bladder twists.

“Ma’ee!” With a panicked expression, he makes grabby hands towards Hanamaki. Thin eyebrows raise and Hanamaki widens his eyes, catching on.

“Let me take Kuroo, Oikawa. You get kitted out so you can spar Ushijima next.”

“Oho, that sounds _perfect_ ~.”

“Don’t kill him.”

“Not so perfect.” Rolling his eyes, Hanamaki takes Kuroo into his arms, and when the sorcerer avidly points in the direction of the signposted bathroom, Hanamaki starts jogging in that direction. 

Oikawa, on the other hand, finds the right size gear to protect himself, as well as testing out the weights of the bamboo staffs. The corners of his lips turn downwards in a tight lipped frown. He doesn’t really like this. There’s more freedom, flexibility and protection in using his twin daggers, so he’s not really accustomed to using one whole weapon in both hands.

“These suck…” 

“So does losing.” Sawamura’s grumble startles him for a second.

“... You lost?”

“Yes, well. I haven’t had _half_ the training Ushijima has.” Oikawa puffs out his cheeks in irritation.

“I’ve probably spent the same time training and practicing… But I chose my twin daggers from a really young age. Sword-training with a weapon like this only took up 1 hour a week.” Sawamura pats Oikawa on the shoulder both in sympathy and encouragement.

“I’m sure you can do it, if you put your mind to it.”

“Of course I can!” Oikawa clutches the staff tightly in his hands, grinning with determination, It worries Sawamura a little with how much it looks like a sneer of murderous intent. Ushijima looks up from where he’s wiping his face with a towel when Oikawa taps his chosen weapon to the floor three times to issue an official sparring challenge.

“... I have only just sparred. Would you rather wait until I was at full strength again?”

“I can fight you twice.”

“... Fair enough.” Ushijima grabs his chosen bamboo staff again, taking stage in the centre of the room opposite Oikawa. He holds the staff out at chest height, completely level, and exhales slowly as he sinks into a sturdy stance, rooting his feet on the safety mat in line with his shoulders, knees slightly bent. Not even a hurricane would knock him off balance now, steady as the earth.

If Ushijima’s stance was solid, sturdy earth, then Oikawa’s was fluid, flexible water. One foot in front of him was positioned to pivot, his other leg stretched back with only the very tips of his toes pressing into the safety map. He’s ready to either spring forwards, or leap back. 

Even the way he holds the staff is different, both hands close to his body and only a hand's length apart from each other, pointing the staff in Ushijima’s direction. Fire burns in his eyes with determination and that always-glowing ember of distrust towards the Shiratori Prince.

“Ready to begin?”

“I’m always ready to fight.” Rolling his eyes, Sawamura steps between them and raises a red cloth.

“As soon as I drop this, the fight starts.” Patiently, the Princes wait with baited breath and eager eyes, not even daring to blink in the chance they might miss the slightest twitch of Sawamura’s fingers indicating he’s about to drop the cloth.

“I’m back!” The split _second_ that Oikawa’s eyes flick to Matsukawa entering the sparring room, Sawamura drops the cloth. He can’t help feeling this betrayal may have been set up. Maybe it’s the very faint twitch of Sawamura’s lips that give him away. Either way, Oikawa has to change his stance to defense incredibly quickly, in the blink of an eye, or a staff would have tapped against his head.

“Strange, I would have thought you more alert than that.”

“Haha, yeah, and I would have thought you were _stronger_!” The way that Oikawa pushes back against Ushijima looks much more effortless than it actually felt, pouring his strength just into putting some distance behind them. He parries it by attempted to strike Ushijima’s side, but he’s too fast in blocking, moving the bamboo staff to a vertical position against the incoming blow.

He swipes up the part of the staff that was formerly in contact with the safety mat, but Ushijima’s mistake is forgetting that bamboo is much more flexible and has a _lot_ more rebound than a metal sword. His arm spasms as the muscle contracts, the end of the staff ironically caught on a fold of the safety mat.

Oikawa takes full advantage of this, lunging forwards with one arm tucked behind his back as a counterbalance to knock the bamboo staff from Ushijima’s hands. It clatters to the floor a short distance away.

“1 to Oikawa.” With a grunt that displays how impressed he is, Ushijima retrieves the staff. 

“I wasn’t expecting you to be so resilient.”

“I’m more than just a pretty face, Ushiwaka.” With a smirk, Oikawa points the end of his staff right between Ushijima’s eyes, danger in his devilish expression.

“ _ **Don’t** underestimate me_.”

“Duly noted.”

“So, uh… I got that plant for you, Oikawa?” All traces of animosity vanish as Oikawa stands up straight, tucking the bamboo staff into his elbow as he claps with a dazzling smile in Matsukawa’s direction.

“That’s great, Mattsun~! What did you get?” Covered in dirt from head to toe, clumps of clay clinging to his hair and streaks of soil across his skin, Matsukawa looks like he’s been in a war. One hand hides behind his back, the other sheepishly rubs the back of his neck

“Well, uh… Some mushrooms and stuff. Y’know, the usual… And then I found something bizarre.”

“Bizarre?”

“Yeah, it took a bit of wrestling to get it out the ground, but I managed it!” Ushijima has a sinking feeling, and if the glance he shares with Sawamura means anything, the Karasuno member has exactly the same fears. Hanamaki, with Kuroo crawling along by his feet as they return from the lavatory, does not carry the same apprehension.

But then, it makes sense those from Seijou and Nekoma would not know about this certain Shiratori plant.

Oikawa taps his foot impatiently, crossing his arms and jutting his chin out with narrowed eyes.

“Well? What is it?” Beaming with pride, Matsukawa unveils the surprise behind his back. Ushijima’s stomach hits the floor and Sawamura sprints forwards as their worst fears are confirmed.

“Matsukawa, that’s a mandrake! A _mandrake_!!!!!” The plant appears to be sleeping, so Sawamura guides Matsukawa outside by the shoulders in an attempt not to wake it. The knight seems very confused.

“It’s- It’s a plant?” 

“Whatever you do, _**don’t**_ wake it.”

“... It’s a plant. See?” He knocks the ‘plant’ against the wall, very sure of himself.

Not even ten minutes later sees them kicked out the inn with a lifelong ban for causing disturbances.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I got too caught up in Inktober to write a full chapter... Oops...
> 
> Please leave kudos and comments!


	6. Ships, Sailors, and Sneaky stowaways!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The journey through Shiratori is coming to an end... And there's an unpleasant surprise for Iwaizumi when they reach Okeanos.  
> Also, some new characters arrive on the scene!

“Man, we’ve been travelling non-stop for a _week_! When are we finally going to reach Okeanos?” Hanamaki’s whine is not the first of its kind, and even Ushijima’s patience is beginning to wear thin.

“I believe I have already told you. We shall reach it very shortly.”

“I think I have saddle hips! I can barely feel my legs!”

“They’re still there. You’re fine.”

“I know they’re _there_ , I just can’t feel them!” Oikawa groans, rubbing at the temples of his forehead.

“Makki, please. That’s six times you’ve complained since we last camped. We’re all suffering, at least let us suffer _quietly_.” Hanamaki sighs overdramatically as he sags backwards in his saddle. His arms swing loosely by his side and Matsukawa watches him with a soft smile, ready to intervene if he falls.

“We haven’t stopped in 32 hours. We walked through the _night_ because you decided we’d lingered in Mt Boobook too long and ‘had to catch up’ to a schedule that doesn’t exist!”

“The less you whine, the more you walk, the closer we are to resting next!” Hanamaki wishes he could say Oikawa’s tactic spurred his enthusiasm, but instead, he finds himself slumping forwards Persephone’s neck and twirling a hand in her long, silky mane.

“I bet you want to rest too, girl… We’ve been awake so long, I’m starting to hallucinate smelling fish ‘n’ salt ‘n’ something else!” Pausing to sniff the air, Iwaizumi tugs on Rhea’s reins until she slows to halt.

“No… I don’t think you’re hallucinating… I smell it too.” Sawamura covers his mouth with a hand as he starts chuckling, and even Ushijima looks amused. He tilted his head towards the chest of the hill not too far in front of them.

“That would be Okeanos.” Oikawa’s nose scrunches up and he tilts his head very slightly to the side, raising an eyebrows.

“A desert smells of fish and salt?” Brown eyes with a mossy shadow to them squint at Oikawa with a hint of confusion. On the other hand, Sawamura laughs.

“You assumed that for yourself, Oikawa!” Although his feet ache and muscles burn, Sawamura gains a burst of energy to sprint to the crest of the hill, throwing his arms out as wide as he can, stretching across the horizon.

“ _This_ is Okeanos!” The Seijou travellers exchange glances, a mixture of unsure and questioning as if they’re really here, before they break into matching grins and launch their horses forwards into a race up to Sawamura.

“Go, Kronus, Go!”

“No chance, we’re in this to win!”

“Hey! You both got a head start!” Oikawa and Hanamaki laugh as Matsukawa shouts at them from the very back, even behind Iwaizumi, since he was trailing behind to keep checking over his shoulder that Goshiki was still discreetly following. Rhea, as always, plodded along to the point where Hades and Matsukawa easily overtook.

“I win this time! Ahahaha!” Victorious, from the top of the hill, Oikawa holds both hands in the air to celebrate his rare win against Hanamaki in horse-racing. Hanamaki, who stares wide-eyed with mild horror out over the hill.

“Oikawa…”

“I finally beat you!”

“Oikawa.”

“I bet Kronus is gloating to Persephone right now~!”

“Oikawa!” The sharp snap of his name, coated in annoyance and _desperation_ had the Prince snap his gaze to Hanamaki. And then, it slowly trails out to where Hanamaki is looking, following a trail of _blue_.

“... Oh, Iwa-chan is going to _**hate**_ this.” Matsukawa pulls Hades to a stop at the same crest, wincing when he looks out towards the horizon, where the sky does not meet land.

No, it meets _water_.

A vast quantity of water, more than Oikawa has ever seen in his life, rippling and moving and _alive_. The midday sun reflects off it, casting golden flickers scattering across the rolling waves.

“Uh oh!” Swallowing down a lump in his throat, Oikawa pats Kuroo’s head awkwardly.

“Yeah, buddy. Major Uh-oh.”

“What are you talk… Ing… Ab-... Nope. Nope, I’m out. Have a nice Trial, I’m going home.” Three pairs of hands grab for Iwaizumi as he turns Rhea around, Ushijima holding out an arm to block his path and Sawamura grinning apologetically as he holds Rhea’s reins.

“Sorry, Iwaizumi, but you can’t travel back through Shiratori without an escort.”

“... You-”

“I have to monitor the royalty. It’s part of my job.” In a last bid of hope, Iwaizumi looks to Ushijima with the biggest puppy-dog eyes he’s ever seen on a grown man. But, his younger brother has overused it many times, and Ushijima is now immune to any and all cute attempts at getting what they want.

“I have a Trial of my own.” Like a switch has been flicked, Iwaizumi’s expression darkens into a grimace, more of a snarl.

“You are not getting me anywhere _near_ that water.”

“You’ve practiced for this, haven’t you?” Iwaizumi splutters, taking a moment to swallow his rage and form words.

“For ponds and grottos! Maybe lakes! Not- Not _that_!” He gestures wildly towards the open ocean, complexion paled. Oikawa frowns with a touch of empathy - and maybe sympathy - before he dismounts Kronus, chucking the reins to Hanamaki to hold.

“Iwa-chan.” The soft whisper of his name draws his attention to Oikawa’s outstretched hand, and he hesitantly takes it with a huff, dismounting Rhea. Warm arms immediately encircle him, loose enough that he could pull away if he wanted, and for Kuroo to breathe, but secure and safe and _loving_.

“I know it’s scary… Even I’m a little scared. That much water… It reminds all of us of that day. But don’t worry. You’re safe now, Hajime. You’re safe, and we’re grown enough to know what to do if anything _does_ happen.”

“T-Tooru…”

“Trust us, okay? We won’t let you drown again.” Iwaizumi’s heart melts and he sinks into Oikawa’s arms, burying his blushing face in Oikawa’s collarbone with a small, wobbly smile on his lips.

“Mhm. I trust you.” If either of them had been listening carefully instead on clinging to each other and conversing in murmurs, they would have heard Hanamaki and Matsukawa hissing under their breaths.

_“Kissssss. C’mon, just kiss already. KISS.”_

_“Go Oikawa, go… Do it… Kiss him, now! First kiss, first kiss!”_

But alas, it was not meant to be. Oikawa and Iwaizumi draw apart, their eyes soft and loving but their lips distanced apart. For a split second, it looked like they would lean in again and kiss, everyone else holding their breath in anticipation, but Iwaizumi averted his eyes first. Hanamaki swore under his breath multiple times as rapidly as he could.

“So, how do we cross Okeanos? I’m guessing we’re not swimming, if it’s that big.” Ushijima shakes his head with a fond smile at the attempted joke. Oikawa really is warming up to him as a friend, rather than a tour guide or forced escort.

“No. There’s a bay area at the end of this trek. We’ll be able to take a boat from there.”

“A-... A boat? Surely that won’t fit _all_ of us?” It suddenly occurs to Sawamura that Oikawa has only seen the little sabani boats that paddle across the lakes of Seijou, burning lights held over the smooth surface of the water as trained cormorants bring back fish drawn into the light, giving every 4 out of 5 to the fisherman. It’s an ancient technique, but the sabani boats are only intended for two people - a maximum of four.

 _None_ of those from Aobajousai would have ever seen a boat made to cross oceans.

“Don’t worry, it’s bigger. A lot bigger.” Ushijima nods in agreement.

“A number of merchants leave these ports for trading with far off countries. The ships are large enough for several merchants and all their stock.”

“Incredible…” Sawamura laughs, having caught his breath back from his little sprint. He takes the moment to sit on the soft grass, just enjoying resting his sore, overworked feet for a minute.

“It’s even more incredible up close~.” He doesn’t get the chance to explain before Matsukawa cuts him off with a loud voice filled with awe, leaning towards the ocean as if he could reach out and touch the horizon. 

“Woah! Woah!!! What is _that_ ~!?” All eyes turn to where he points, _some_ more enthusiastic than others. Ushijima, of course, knows exactly what it is, so he does no more than huff in amusement at their childlike awe. Hanamaki grins and takes a breath in to fill his lungs, the air rushing out of them with amazement. Oikawa’s curiosity is perked, but his reaction is little more than to squint and purse his lips as he tries to identify it. 

For Sawamura and Kuroo, the thing Matsukawa points out with energised happiness is something they see almost weekly, so it’s nothing special to them. Iwaizumi probably has the most common reaction to seeing something unknown, large, and potentially dangerous. He backs away from the ocean, as far as he can whilst Hanamaki still holds onto his wrist.

“What- What is it? Can it hurt us?” The large _thing_ out on the ocean has a rotund, curved surface, and behind it a huge tail like those of fish rises and smack back into the water propelling it forwards. It must be an animal, but on its back is something manmade. 

Wooden in nature, it spans the majority of the creature’s back, at least three levels to it, with a wall around the bottom layer, only columns and stairways holding up the others, although they do have a small fence around them. One of the columns extends skyward, with a basket at the top. Upon squinting, Oikawa can make out _people_ running about the platforms like it’s second nature to them.

“It’s one of your boats, isn’t it, Ushiwaka?” A nod in his direction.

“Whale ships. Our best method of long-haul journeys.” As if it’s a second thought, Ushijima glances over his shoulder at Iwaizumi.

“Don’t worry. We’ll be getting a smaller ship. One not so… Open.”

“I would be grateful for that.” The slightly green tinge to his complexion starts to gradually fade as the group take to their horses again. Oikawa, cheekily, attaches a tack rope to Rhea’s reins so Iwaizumi can’t make a bid for freedom. The closer they get to the ocean, the more it’s going to take to convince him to stay.

(Iwaizumi very quickly detaches it with a heavy glare and matching pout.)

“Let’s hurry. If we can get there before midnight, we can board the last ship I intend for us to take. Or we’ll be staying in an inn again.” Hanamaki perks up. Oh, the things he’d do for a proper bed right now! Maybe not kill, because he’s too nice of a guy for senseless killings, but probably close. Maiming isn’t killing, right?

“Hanamaki Takahiro, what the everloving _fuck_?” It takes him a second to realise he’s spoken aloud.

“... Whoops, my bad.” Matsukawa laughs, nudging Hades to catch up and he leans across the gap, wrapping an arm around Hanamaki’s waist.

“So who does the light of my life, my little murder moss ball, want to maul today?”

“ _Moss ball_? Excuse me, babe, but I am most definitely _not_ a moss ball.”

“Sweet sugar syrup?”

“No.”

“Fairy glitter gremlin?”

“Issei, if you think I look like _any_ of those things, we are breaking up.” Huskily, Matsukawa chuckles and steals a brief kiss to Hanamaki’s cheek before Persephone makes an angry noise, forcing him to retreat to an arms length.

“I’m joking, ‘Hiro~. Well, except for one part. You really are the love of my life.”

“Ewww, Makki and Mattsun are being grossly over affectionate again!” The good-natured tease is followed up with the distinct ‘thwack’ of Iwaizumi’s controlled punch to Oikawa’s upper arm, telling him off for interrupting them. Matsukawa rolls his eyes, looking to Hanamaki to make a joke, but freezes.

Because Hanamaki is _damn_ beautiful when he blushes. His cheeks go roselle pink to match that subtle shade beneath the brunet in his hair, and his ears burn a delightful cerise. At the same time, he always - without realising it - lightly bites into his bottom lip just the slightest, an expression both adorable and sexy as hell.

Matsukawa doesn’t realise he’s staring lovingly and completely off with the fairies - not literally, he doesn’t have enough sugar to attract them - until Sawamura pokes his calf on his other side.

“Might want to watch out here. Lots of landslides in this area, and a sheer drop if you go over the embankment.” Curiously, he stands in the saddle to peer over the little ridge of grass on their left. Sawamura wasn’t kidding about the sheer drop.

They’re walking a path halfway up a crumbling cliff, lightly coloured stone rolling down the harsh slope and coming to rest in a pile at the bottom, until it overbalances and the rocks meet the small strip sand at the base of the cliff. From there, the swash of the waves washes it away into the ocean, never to be seen again.

“Yeah, that’s… Quite a tumble.” They have to be at least 300 ft high. A fall like that might be possible to survive, but… The chances would be slim if they hit rock on the way down. At least the sand looks soft? Kind of?

“Lean like that and you _will_ be going over.” All of a sudden, just as the group are looking out at the shimmering sea, something drops like a stone from above. Iwaizumi would have thought it _was_ a stone, if it didn’t impact the rocks below with a squeak.

“What was that?!” Hanamaki’s attempt to lean over the edge and see is halted by Ushijima grabbing the back of his collar and stopping him from potentially toppling over the edge. And then, another one tumbling down from above them. Oikawa’s sharp eyes manage to catch a glimpse.

“... Suicidal chicks?” For what is not the first time, but certainly the loudest, Ushijima barks out a laugh. He shakes his head. 

“Barnacle goslings. The parent geese are waiting below. They nest high up the cliff to avoid predators, the only problem being the drop the goslings must make to get to the wetland feeding areas.”

“Huh… Interesting. So it’s like a coming of age thing?”

“More a survival thing, but yes, it only happens when the goslings are considered strong enough. Around three days old.” With Ushijima’s explanation done, Iwaizumi watches the top of the rock face in awe, searching for any more goslings that might rain from the skies.

“That’s incredible… Only three days old and they jump down this cliff and _live_?”

“...” The silence that follows leaves Iwaizumi feeling slightly upset. Like he shouldn’t have asked or said anything. Oikawa looks down at Kuroo. He _had_ been about to jokingly suggest letting him ‘have a go’, but knowing that not all the goslings make it sends a surge of guilt through him. And he hadn’t even said it out loud!

“Coincidentally, we’re about to go through Gosling Pass.”

“Gosling Pass?”

“A narrow stretch of land between two mountains. It’ll bring us out into the Pelican Bay area.” Clicking his tongue, Ushijima and Jupiter nudge carefully past Persephone and Hades to take the lead. For once, Oikawa doesn’t make any sound of envy or dislike. Maybe because he’s still too shocked that he was about to suggest throwing a six month baby off a cliff.

“Oikawa, don’t get left behind.” He shakes his head to clear his thoughts, giving Kuroo one more guilty glance before kicking Kronus into a trot.

“I won’t, I won’t!” He catches up to them quickly enough, since they’re in single file and have to stop to take turns in jumping over a large boulder that’s obviously gotten stuck as it rolled down from the top. Once Ushijima has cleared it and turned the corner into Gosling Pass, Oikawa glances behind him.

From where they’ve just walked, a pony appears, followed by a head poking out from behind the rockface. Oikawa waves, and the young Shiratori Prince grins and waves back. It’s amazing, really, that Ushijima hasn’t realised his half-brother is following in their shadow.

Then again, he has a very one-track mind and is probably too focused on clearing his second trial to even _consider_ Goshiki tailing them. Oikawa checks once more to make sure Ushijima is far ahead before he shout-whispers over his shoulder.

“Be careful! Don’t go near the edge!”

“I will! Uh- I’ll be careful! I won’t go near the edge!” From atop the boulder, Sawamura waves Oikawa over before he slides back down the other side, and Oikawa gives Goshiki a thumbs up before he and Kronus jump the boulder. He just hopes Pluto can make it, being a pony instead of a horse.

On the other side of the boulder, he’s met with a narrow passage with high walls on each side, from where the two mountains merge together. Rhea looks to actually be having trouble getting through, and Iwaizumi even dismounts to walk in front of her so his legs don’t add to their overall width.

“Michimiya was right that feeding her would improve her behaviour, but… If this carries on, I don’t think she’ll fit through here on the way back!” Hanamaki and Oikawa may laugh, but Sawamura frowns. It’s a very real concern. The way Rhea is gaining weight but always hungry suggests something a little more serious is going on. Iwaizumi continues speaking.

“I mean, she’s always been chubby, but now… I’m kinda worried.” 

“There’s a stable at the docks. Someone can check her there.”

“... Sawa-chan, do you know _all_ the stables _**everywhere**_?!” With a self-satisfied smirk, Sawamura shrugs in Oikawa’s direction. It leaves Oikawa gawping as his guards and knight laugh at him.

“We’re here. Welcome to Pelican bay’s Gull docks. Ah, we’ll have to go through Moorhen village first.”

The view is _staggering_. Apart from this one carved path, the mountain face is too steep for buildings of any kind. Trees of green stretch as far as the eye can see, painting the mountains in emerald and viridian, with splashes of chartreuse. On this side closest to them, there’s no flat land to build upon. Instead, a row of 700 year old wooden houses sits right on the water's edge - no, hanging _over_ the water’s edge!

“How- How are those houses floating?”

“They’re Funaya - built on the only stretch of land available. The lower ‘floors’ are for boats.” As he speaks, someone rows into one of the houses, disappearing under the wooden structure. 

“The people here thrive on fish, and profits gained from selling these fish to merchants to distribute inland.”

“Is that a restaurant I see?” Leave it to Iwaizumi to bring the conversation to food. He might actually be salivating, and the hand on his stomach betrays how hungry he is. Honestly, Oikawa isn’t too far off from getting hunger pangs either.

“Yes. It serves quite a famous seafood selection.” When Ushijima looks back at the Aobajousai portion of his party, he blinks with astonishment. They’re all staring at him with the same level of hunger and murder, as if daring him to say that they can’t take a break. Matsukawa already has his hand on his hip coin pouch.

“... It would be, uh, culturally enlightening if you want to try some?” He doesn’t get another word out before they’re scrambling down the road into the village, throwing their horse reins to Sawamura with a shout of thanks before _sprinting_ away, like the food will vanish if they don’t get there instantly. It takes a few seconds to sink in that they’ve been abandoned.

“I suppose we should… Follow?” The bewilderment is clear in his voice, pitched up higher than Sawamura has ever heard from Ushijima _ever_. He manages to restrain a good-natured snort.

“Before Persephone realises Hanamaki is gone and starts acting up, yes.” They walk the trail quietly, talking between themselves about peaceful and amusing topics, Ushijima informing Sawamura of things that had happened at the palace whilst he was on duty as the Karasuno leader, and Sawamura excitedly telling Ushijima about his travels, what he’d seen and learnt from far off places the Shiratori Prince would probably never visit.

Only one of them was aware of other ears listening in, shadows flickering between the trees all around them, the faint clip-clop of tiny hooves on rock drowned out by the five horses. Goshiki darts from branch to branch, using the foliage to hide him and the bark to muffle his footsteps. He leads Pluto by the reins, making sure he’s taking routes where the pony can still get through.

At one point, Ushijima glances upwards and Goshiki’s heart thuds in his chest with fear of being caught. He’d be sent back to the palace if that were the case, and he doesn’t want to! He wants to complete a trial of his own! He wants to _prove_ himself, not just to the Emperor, but to himself as well. He hasn’t really been… Confident in himself lately. Everyone seems to treat him like an annoyance, and no-one lets him train in what he thinks he’ll be best at.

Sneaking around is something he’s proud of, but the other children on palace grounds call him cowardly and weak. He’ll show them just how ‘cowardly’ and ‘weak’ he is when he comes back from a _Trial_!!!! Even if it wasn’t given to him by his father, a self-issued trial is still a Trial, right? 

Down below, Ushijima and Sawamura make their first steps into Moorhen village, amused to see the skittish birds the village is named after comically darting around as they trill and peep. 

Then, just as quickly, Matsukawa, Oikawa, and Iwaizumi cross their path cackling and guffawing loudly and vanishing into the winding maze of the village. Sawamura doesn’t have a chance to ask - which is becoming frequent - before there’s a shout from the direction the troublesome three have just appeared - the seafront.

“Get back here, you _assholes_! I’ll strangle you with your own intestines!” A flash of Hanamaki as he leaps over a moorhen in the middle of the path to chase after Matsukawa, Iwaizumi, and Oikawa. A flash of a very soggy, very wet Hanamaki. A moist Makki, so to say.

“I do believe we have a problem.” Sawamura sighs. He would pinch the bridge of his nose if he wasn’t holding two horse reins in each hand. As it is, Persephone recognises her rider and tries to pull away. A tantrum is due any minute now.

“I’ll fetch him. All of them.”

“Please, Ushijima.” With a nod, the Prince sits up straighter on Jupiter’s back and nudges him into a trot. Finding the motley quartet would be difficult in this village, if it weren’t for one thing. The trail of puddles left behind by Hanamaki. 

A very soaked, dripping and drenched Hanamaki. There’s no doubt that he took a dip in the ocean, and from the mischievous, evil cackling of the other three, Ushijima can guess it wasn’t a voluntary swim _at all_.

As Ushijima rounds a corner, he witnesses Hanamaki lunge with a feral scream and tackle his friends to the ground. Incapacitated by their own howling laughter and the weight on top of them, there’s no escape from Hanamaki’s revenge. Ushijima raises an eyebrow at the poetic-ness of it.

A moist Makki murders multiple mischief makers. It could almost be written in calligraphy and framed. Almost. 

“Hanamaki, please don’t kill them on Shiratori soil.”

“They pushed me off the fucking rock wall!” A fresh burst of laughter leaves Matsukawa wheezing and Oikawa near-choking on lack of air, whilst Iwaizumi grins. Hanamaki’s choice of revenge is to pull them all into a tight, inescapable, crushing hug and shake his head, soaking and splattering them with droplets of the same water they pushed him into. Ushijima can only watch with a deadpan expression until they separate, slumped in the middle of the path trying to regain their breath.

“Now that you’ve put yourselves at risk of colds, would you like me to show you to the restaurant?” Iwaizumi manages to recover first, sitting up and wiping away the streaks of happy tears down his cheeks.

“Y-Yes please~.” Despite being damp - or dripping - all four of them seem to be in a good mood. A _really_ good mood. There’s a skip in Oikawa’s step and Iwaizumi swings their arms as they hold hands. Matsukawa keeps apologising softly under his breath, although he smiles like he isn’t sorry at all, lavishing Hanamaki’s wet cheek with gentle butterfly kisses. Hanamaki maintains an exaggerated pout, but he leans into Matsukawa and interlocks their fingers despite his soggy, sulky attitude.

“Ah, Tetsurou didn’t get too wet, did-... Oikawa, where’s Tetsurou?”

“Oh, I gave him to Mattsun~.” The groups freeze, looking from Oikawa, to Matsukawa, to Oikawa again. Because there’s no baby in _either_ of their arms. Oikawa seems to realise his mistake and breaks into a cold sweat.

“Mattsun… I did pass him to you, didn’t I?”

“No? You pushed Takahiro in, I grabbed Iwaizumi’s wrist, and then we ran. I- You never gave Kuroo to me.”

“But- But I did! Makki was in front of me, and I just- I eh!” He frantically motions passing a bundle off to the right, then a shoving motion from where he would have propelled Hanamaki off the rock wall on the water’s edge. Matsukawa’s eyes widen.

“Oikawa, I was on your _left_!” Slowly and shamefully, Oikawa buries his face in his hands. Hanamaki visibly winces. Kuroo is going to absolutely murder them. Hex them. Curse them and make sure they’re suffering forever. He’ll probably make flowers grow out of their ears and then make them allergic. Or turn them into frogs and boil them alive. Normal sorcerer things.

But at least Hanamaki and Matsukawa _know_ Kuroo will likely be okay, because he secretly has 19 years of knowledge and experience with him. But to Oikawa, Iwaizumi, and Ushijima…

“I cannot believe you would lose a _baby_. Of all things!” For once, Ushijima looks to be _angry_. Actively angry, with creasing between his brow and his jaw tightly clenched. But of course he’s angry. A baby is a vulnerable little being, there’s no telling what could happen to him.

“Don’t judge me! I- I thought I safely passed him to Mattsun!” If Ushijima’s anger is like a simmering pot, Iwaizumi’s is like a raging fire.

“How can you _misplace_ a _**baby**_?! Your money, yes! Your daggers, okay. But a fucking baby?! I-! You-! Oikawa, you _idiot_!” Oikawa frowns. It hurts, what Iwaizumi is saying, it really does. But he knows his Knight - His _boyfriend_ \- is just frantic over the welfare of the baby he’s come to bond with.

“Deep breath, Iwa-chan. We just need to go back to the rock wall. If I was handed a baby, I’d certainly stay where I was unless no-one came back.” 

“What’s going on?” They whip their heads round to the closest street corner, Sawamura appearing from the shadows. Immediately, Persephone pulls herself away from Sawamura strong enough to unbalance him, trotting over to Hanamaki, who coos as he pats her down.

“Oikawa lost Kuroo, that’s what happened.”

“He what.” Sheepishly, Oikawa rubs the back of his head as he takes Kronus from Sawamura.

“I misplaced Tetsu-chan. Just temporarily! And I know he’s probably alone and confused and scared, maybe upset, but we’ll find him! I promise!”

Oikawa would have eaten his words if he knew the truth. Because Kuroo was absolutely none of those things. In fact, he was quite content, albeit slightly pissed off that he’d been left behind. 

A flat hand pat his head as he sat on the corner of a white cloak on the floor, chewing gummily on a rice ball. Without as many teeth as he used to have, he was making a mess, but the owner of the cloak didn’t seem to mind. He turned his dark eyes up to the person besides him, perched on the rock wall and gazing up at the calm forest on the side of the mountain.

“‘Enma! ‘Enma!” A scowl. The boy with golden eyes and strange two-coloured hair narrows his eyes with a slight growl and tried to ignore his annoying best friend. But the sorcerer was insistent, tugging on his white cloak and shouting butchered versions of his name. The Nekoma native ignored it until a certain point.

“‘O-Zu-Me-’En-Ma!”

“I can _hear_ you, Kuroo.” The baby gave a self-satisfied smirk and made grabby hands up at the Mage - because that’s exactly what Kenma was. He was different from a sorcerer in that he not only specialised in healing magic, but that the only magic he could use on _himself_ was Complete Erasure, which made him invisible, soundless, and impossible to sense. It suited him perfectly and he was secretly happy to be a Mage instead of a Sorcerer.

Of course, his classification as well as his position as Kuroo’s childhood friend had gotten him into this mess in the first place. It hadn’t been a surprise to the weary 14 year old when he’d been told to supervise Kuroo and keep him safe for the return to Nekoma. But it _had_ been a surprise when Kuroo was suddenly shoved into his arms - his _invisible_ , undetectable arms, and the four Seijou adventurers had run off to who knows where.

“‘ENMA!” Pursing his lips into a pout and wrapping his fingers around a warm cup of matcha, Kenma spares a glare at Kuroo, wiping his sticky hands on the now-visible white cape. Maybe he shouldn’t have dropped Complete Erasure. Then he could have just walked off and left Kuroo babbling to himself.

“I can hear you, but I’m not listening.” His line of sight drifts back to the forests. They lock onto the shadow moving within them, heading towards the Gull docks side of the bay, stepping carefully to conceal himself. Not that he can hide from Kenma’s sharp eyes. The mage takes a sip of his steaming tea.

“You’ve gained more companions than I thought.”

“Mhm!”

“... Sounds like you’re having fun.” Kuroo puffs his cheeks out, jabbing a finger into Kenma’s thigh and making the teenage hiss as his whole leg spasms from the poked pressure point.

“Next time I’ll just leave you sitting on your _own_.” Kuroo mutters something Kenma _shouldn’t_ be able to make sense of, but a translation spell he’s cast upon everyone in the travelling party allows him to understand them, despite their languages being so different. 

Adapting the spell so they could understand Kuroo’s language but not his _baby talk_ was extensively difficult, and sometimes he slipped up. He tried to keep those times to when Kuroo was in the company of those who knew his true identity. 

Now, whilst they were not here, he could relax. With a deep exhale, he let the scarlet threads of magic seep from his sleeves and wrap around Kuroo. Slowly, he makes eye contact.

“Say that again.”

“I said; You’re having fun too, aren’t you, Kenma~?”

“... I can permanently silence you at no cost of my own.”

“You said that to Tora and only did it for a week.”

“Only because he was _twice_ as loud without a voice. I didn’t expect Fukunaga to supply him with instruments.” Kuroo snickers, trying to heave himself up onto the rock wall. Kenma just keeps pushing him back again, not willing to risk the uncoordinated limbs of a baby ending up in Pelican bay’s deep water.

“It’s always two against one with you kids~.”

“ _Don’t_ call us kids. We’re 14.”

“ _You’re_ 14\. Tora is 15 and Fukunaga is almost there.”

“Shut up, Kuroo. You’re younger than Yaku and Kai.” Tiny baby hands impact his leg as Kuroo smacks him where he can reach, yelling nonsense about how it wasn’t fair for Kenma to remind him and it’s different because they’re adults.

Kenma finds that very hard to believe right now. Most of the time, Kuroo forgets he’s still just a big kid. Without warning, he suddenly downs the rest of his matcha, setting the cup aside on the rock wall and nudging Kuroo off his cape, pupils dilating and pointed ears twitching.

“They’re coming.” With a swish of his hand, Kuroo’s fluent speech is removed and he’s back to baby babble, at the same time as Kenma completely _vanishes_. He’s still there, Kuroo knows he is, but it’s still… Lonely.

“- over here when I pushed Makki!” The voice precedes the thunderous stampede of horse hooves on the cobblestone of Moorhen Village, the group Kuroo has come to know and befriend skidding around the corner with Oikawa and Kronus in the lead.

As soon as the Prince spots the baby sitting alone by the rock wall, eyes filling with water, he leaps from Kronus’ back and jogs over, scooping Kuroo up and practically smashing his lower legs against the rock wall to stop himself from propelling straight over it. It’ll bruise, maybe hurt, but Kuroo is in his arms and Kuroo is safe, and that’s all that matters right now.

“Thank goodness you’re okay! I was so worried…” He holds the baby close to his chest, a hand on the back of his head to hold him close. With his face buried in Oikawa’s collarbone, Kuroo feels warm, so warm… Warm and comfortable and he’s _not alone_.

He’s still a kid, after all. A 19 year old kid with a need for friends and safety and _love_. Not a romantic kind of love, he’s perfectly happy without that, but a platonic kind. The kind a family would give him. Love from people who care.

“Oikawa! _Tetsurou_!” Iwaizumi is the second to reach them, wrapping his arms around the two and pulling them in close. Truthfully, Kuroo is a little crushed between them, but he can’t find it within himself to be mad. They were worried. They were _scared_.

Ushijima, Sawamura, Hanamaki and Matsukawa stand back, watching with small smiles and a great sense of relief. They’re entirely unaware of it, but Kenma stands even further back from _them_ , hidden under his Complete Erasure, watching softly and thanking whoever is guiding them that Kuroo has finally, _finally_ found a family. 

Most of Nekoma were orphans, after all. A plague had struck the nation not long before Kenma had been born. Mages and wizards and witches and sorcerers had dropped like flies along with the people they tried to treat, and it seemed almost like Nekoma would be lost. 

Yaku had told tales of how Kenma’s own mother had fallen sick, the baby in her womb keeping her mentally strong enough to fight on until someone found a cause. And someone did. Kuroo had discovered his magic at 3. The plague had taken both his parents at 4. 

But he was powerful. He had raw potential unseen for many centuries in their nation. At just 5 years old, Kuroo Tetsurou had been the sorcerer to remove the plague from one person. And then another. And soon, news of the magic prodigy had spread far and wide, and Kuroo was healing from day until night.

But for himself, it hadn’t been soon enough. His parents were gone, and Kenma’s mother was only strong enough to last months after Kenma’s birth. She had sacrificed years of her own life to keep her foetus alive, hence why Kenma was a strong healing mage. It took three years to vanquish the plague. Kuroo was eight before he even had a chance to live a normal life. If it could be classed ‘normal’ at all.

Many others had perished too soon for him to heal, and others had not been able to reach him because of their condition. Even in their hometown, there were only children and newborns without parents. The orphaned children had banded together, a family of babies and toddlers and three eight year olds.

They probably wouldn’t have survived without old man Nekomata and the merchant Naoi bringing them food and blankets and other necessary survival items. But they were not parents. They were teachers, not family. The band of children - 8 in total - had only each other to love.

But here and now, Kenma can see Kuroo has been fully accepted, practically _adopted_ thanks to his de-aging, and he has found a family at last. A family who loves him, even if they are a mismatched group of boys who leave him in the arms of an invisible stranger.

“So… Can we get that seafood platter now, because I’m _starving_?” Matsukawa shatters the moment, simply shrugging when light glares turn in his direction. Ushijima sighs, having been enjoying the moment of peace at the little reunion. But he also knows that boredom obviously leads these four to… _**Troublesome**_ … Things. It’s best to know when to give way.

“Yes, yes we can. This way.” He nudges Jupiter forwards, scattering little moorhens that bravely potter around, trying to pick up the bits of food Kuroo dropped whilst he was with Kenma. Ushijima leads them to a building hanging over the shoreline, twice as wide as the houses. There’s only three walls, and the door is just an open archway. 

The furthest face of the restaurant, on the edge of the ocean, is simply four wooden columns to support the roof. From the floor, four large steps descend into the blue waters, clear enough to see the grains in the wood and the yellow stripes painted on the edge of each one to warn of the next step. The fourth one has a bright red line instead, just visible through the darkening blue.

The horses reins are looped around the horizontal log outside the restaurant, and the boys enter. Iwaizumi stays near the back, sitting himself on a stool by the window so he can reach out and stroke Rhea’s muzzle, occasionally getting Hades and Kronus vying for his attention too.

Hanamaki’s first decision, already being soaked, is to wade down the stairs and stand on the lowest one, water around his hips as he gazes across the bay in amazement. This side of the bay might have an immediate drop into the ocean, but the other side has a gentle slope, which has been heavily built upon.

Wooden docks stretch out for hundreds of meters, a second floor platform to them every hundred or so. Huge whale ships pull up alongside, the creatures resting leisurely as they’re fed from a huge cart of capelin fish and squid.

People working on the docks scurry back and forth to unload the deliveries, whilst those on deck take the time to take care of their whale, scrubbing it down as the next shipment is loaded up. Smaller docks are occupied by boats of different shapes and sizes, and Hanamaki stares in awe because he’s _never_ seen anything like this before! They’re so different from the Sabani!

“That small one with the battened sails is a _Lorcha_. They’re a bigger version of the _junk_ ships we use in smaller bays, although it retains the traditional Shiratori rigging.” Startled, Hanamaki jumps at Ushijima’s presence behind him, peering over his shoulder. The Prince had removed his shoes and woollen hose, rolled up his silk Ku and Pao, and stepped in to knee depth.

“A- A Lorcha?”

“Mhm. We use them mainly for trading rice, although they also work as fishing vessels.”

“Incredible…” Turning his gaze back to the bay, Hanamaki’s eyes glitter and his jaw drops momentarily. Excitedly, he points towards one of the newer ships coming in. It’s huge! It’s _massive_!

“What about that one~?! What’s that one?!” It’s hard not to get swept up in Hanamaki’s enthusiasm and Oikawa rests his cheek in his hand, elbow on the table, listening to Ushijima explain all the boats as they wait for the food Sawamura ordered. From Argosy to Proa to Sampan, and the Galleon that Hanamaki pointed out, Shiratori has more ships in this one bay than Oikawa ever knew existed.

“The one we are waiting for is a Fluyt. It’s smaller than a Galleon, but the lower decks are also enclosed.” Iwaizumi mutters something only Matsukawa hears - a _‘thank fuck’_ \- that makes him snort, almost inhaling his drink.

“Don’t worry, Iwaizumi~. You’re not likely to fall off that thing anyways.” Pointing to the Galleon, Matsukawa grins as Iwaizumi grunts, accepting that the ship is much larger than he thought, and with proper chest-high railings around the outside, it does look hard to fall off.

“Still possible.”

“Already, grumpy old man, we’ll leave you to mope.” With a chuckle, Sawamura walks over with food galore balanced on a tray in each hand, and one on his head.

“Leave Iwaizumi alone, Matsukawa~. I’m sure you have something you wouldn’t like to go near.” The way the guard pales indicates that yes, there is something he too is very terrified of. Iwaizumi snickers.

“We filled his bed with worms once, cut a hole in the sheet, and they wriggled out whilst he was sleeping. Morning was… _Entertaining_ ~.”

“Don’t- Don’t remind me. I might be sick just thinking about it.” 

“What about Hanamaki? Does he have anything he doesn’t like?” Iwaizumi and Matsukawa share a look, thinking hard.

“I’m… Not sure.”

“He seems pretty cowardly on the surface, but when it comes to it, he’s probably just as brave as Oikawa.” Sawamura blinks. He hadn’t been expecting that. From the way Hanamaki seems nervous more than any of the others, especially in the dark, he was expecting an answer more along the lines of, well, the dark.

“So… If Oikawa is also brave, does he fear anything?” Matsukawa shrugs, but Iwaizumi nods.

“He’s scared of losing us, I think. That and the whole being a King thing. Of course he’s looking forwards to it, and I know he’s going to be a great king, perhaps even better than his father, but Oikawa has a lot of self-doubt at times.”

“He-... He does?” Iwaizumi’s eyes drift to Oikawa’s back, the Prince relaxingly hunched over as he sits at the table nearest the waterfront, still listening to Hanamaki and Ushijima talk, although it’s changed from boats to the history of the bay and village.

“Mhm. Although I must admit, he’s only hit rock bottom twice. I’m… Worried it might happen again.” Matsukawa reaches across and rubs a hand up and down Iwaizumi’s arm comfortingly, trying to cheer him up as he looks down at the floorboards with a tight expression, biting his bottom lip enough to draw blood.

“Don’t worry. Even if he does, he’s got you. ‘Hiro and I are here for him too, but if Oikawa does have a breakdown, I know you can pull him out of it.” A wobbly smiles blossoms on Iwaizumi’s face and he whispers a small thanks before turning to the food Sawamura placed in front of him. 

“Here’s yours, Matsukawa.” From the tray atop his head, Sawamura takes off a bowl of soup and puts it on the table in front of him. It’s a huge contrast to Iwaizumi’s square plate of sashimi. 

“So.. This is sea urchin soup?”

“Yep.”

“It’s very… Yellow.”

“Indeed.”

“... Okay then. Thanks for the food.” Matsukawa doesn’t bother to take a careful ‘taste-test’ sip first, simply spooning the soup into his mouth like he’s eaten this a million times before. The only telltale sign that he hasn’t is his eyebrows raising in impressed shock and the slight pause where he savours the flavour before moving onto the next mouthful. 

Not like Iwaizumi, who pokes at his food, sniffs it, makes a funny face, glares at it, and tentatively nibbles at the tiniest corner. When it doesn’t immediately kill him, he still takes small bites until he’s sure he likes it. 

“Oikawa! Food!” The Prince spins around on his seat with childish delight, putting his hands firmly on the table as he grins.

“Order me something good, Sawa-chan~?”

“Of course. Ah, here’s Kuroo’s too.” A tiny plate with a fillet of fish is placed down first, the light charring covered with salt crystals. Oikawa raises an eyebrow as Kuroo squeals and reaches for it with glee, his arms frustratingly too short to reach it from where he’s in the sling against Oikawa’s chest.

“What _is_ that? He’s acting like it’s the best thing in all the Kingdoms!”

“Saba Shioyaki~. It’s his favourite, that’s why. And here’s yours.” Oikawa raises his chopsticks in anticipation, licks his lips at the delicious fragrance, and- 

“... What. What the fuck is this.” It’s a body of rice, that much is true, with some kind of sauce all over it, sliced vegetables sprinkled sparingly on top, and _curly long things with little circle shapes on that look like rubber-_.

“Tako curry.” 

“Ta… Ko?”

“Octopus.” The expression of confusion paired with Oikawa looking back and forth between the bowl of unknown creature and Sawamura as if this is some kind of _joke_ is enough to draw a deep, genuine laugh from his gut.

“Just try it! You might like it!” Without waiting for a reply, Sawamura places the other two plates down and whistles sharply to draw Ushijima and Hanamaki’s attention. They come wading over, making sure to dry their feet at the very least. Since the restaurant is floating, with tiny gaps between the wooden planks, it’s not a problem to be dripping wet as long as the customers politely dry their seats afterwards.

“Thank you, Sawamura.”

“You _can_ just call me Daichi, you know. Your brother does, and you’ve known me longer than him.”

“Tsutomu is a child. It is acceptable for him to use informal names.” With his hands free, Sawamura huffs and puts them on his hips with a stern look.

“We’re on an _adventure_. There’s no need to be so formal when you’re travelling with _friends_.” The corners of Ushijima’s lips twitch upwards and he tries to hide it by taking a mouthful of buckwheat noodles.

“Very well, Daichi. I look forwards to the rest of our journey together.” Grinning, Sawamura sits opposite Hanamaki - who is essentially _devouring_ his seafood platter - and starts on his lobster. He’s pleased to see Oikawa eating his Tako curry, having placed Kuroo on the bench next to him. The poor Saba Shioyaki didn’t stand a chance.

By the time they’ve finished eating, Sawamura spots the Fluyt ship Ushijima is determined for them to get enter the bay. It’ll take time for it to cross the entire bay and unload, but that’s precious time they need to get round to the other side of the bay, especially if Iwaizumi wants to get Rhea checked again.

“Everyone finished?” A chorus of agreement is his answer, Kuroo’s small ‘Yah!’ muffled against the plate as he licks it clean. He wouldn’t do that normally, granted, but he can get away with it disguised as a baby.

“Tetsu-chan, that’s disgusting!” Or maybe not. He’s picked back up and carefully wrapped in the sling again, puffing out his cheeks in irritation. Sure, he might have freaked out a little at being left behind, but at least he was free from that _trapping_ sling. He wishes he could just walk around again.

Iwaizumi seems relieved to leave the restaurant, but hesitant to continue their journey. That’s not a huge surprise. Considering Okeanos is just water, water, and more water, it’s essentially Iwaizumi’s worst nightmare. It’s only the reassurance from his friends that’s kept him going this far, but there’s a large chance he might bail at the docks.

As the horses set off, he’s at the back, and trails further and further behind the closer the path gets to the edge of the water. Matsukawa glances at him over his shoulder and sighs. He eases Hades into a trot to catch up with Kronus.

“Oikawa.” A simple tilt of the head is all that’s needed, no words, and Oikawa nods, gathering the reins in hand and tugging them gently to slow Kronus down. Iwaizumi is so deep in thought, hands shaking as they tightly clench onto Rhea’s reins, that he doesn’t notice Oikawa alongside him until fingers brush gently over his arm.

He jolts. He _jolts_ , like he’s been struck by lightning, almost leaping out the saddle. The reassuring smile on Oikawa’s face twitches into a frown but he recovers it by the time Iwaizumi registers that it’s just his boyfriend. It’s Oikawa. 

“Hey…” The softness of his tone betrays how much he can read Iwaizumi like a book, see how he’s completely shaken up, just by waves lapping at the edge of the path a whole meter away.

“H-Hey.” Oikawa lowers his hand again, placing it gently on the part of Iwaizumi’s arm that he brushed before. He gives a gentle, comforting squeeze as he smiles softly, trying desperately to keep Iwaizumi’s eyes on him, and not the ocean.

“We’re nearly there, Iwa-chan~.”

“I can see that.” There’s still a tremble to his voice, knuckles white as he grips the reins, and Oikawa feels a little sorry for Rhea. Trusting Kronus with his life, Oikawa drops his own reins to reach over and ease Iwaizumi’s hands off, finger by finger. One of them, he holds in his own, whilst the other drops to Iwaizumi’s leg and tightly grips the fabric there.

“Let me tack Rhea up to Kronus. Then you can sit behind me, okay?”

“... Will Kronus be okay with that…?”

“Of course~.” Oikawa dismounts, finding the tack rope from earlier still attached to the bag on his saddle, and loops it around to tie Kronus and Rhea together. Then, he clambers back on, offers Iwaizumi a hand, and pulls the knight up to sit behind him. He’s sure the handles of his twin daggers are digging into Iwaizumi’s stomach, but he does nothing to remove them.

“Hold tight, Hajime.” The whisper is only just loud enough to be heard over the waves lapping at the shore, but Oikawa doesn’t think he even needs them. If he held much tighter, they’d merge into one. He holds his reins in one hand, since the other is occupied resting over Iwaizumi’s clinging to his stomach beneath Kuroo’s sling, absentmindedly stroking his thumb over his knuckles.

“Stables dead ahead!” Hanamaki’s call from the front of the group makes Oikawa sit up a little straighter. This is it! Once they get the horses checked out, they can get on the ship and sail across Okeanos! He’ll be just under halfway to completing his Trial!

“We need to hurry. At this rate, the Fluyt will be ready before we are, and I doubt the captain will wait.”

“Most merchants wouldn’t. What makes a boat merchant any different?” Inside the stable, the familiar scent of hay, manure, and wood calms Iwaizumi down a lot. Oikawa can tell by the way he’s resting a cheek on his shoulder instead of burying his face into his back. Just having walls around him, just being _inside_ does him the world of good.

“Noya, it’s Daichi!! Daichi’s here!”

“ _ **Daichi?!**_!” From the rafters, a pitchfork drops down and clutters to the ground, and that’s all the warning they have before some _one_ rockets down after it and barrels straight into Sawamura, almost knocking him off his feet as they wind him. Remarkably, after a wheeze, Sawamura is fully composed again.

“Hello, Noya.”

“It’s been too long, man! Where you been?!”

“Supervising, of course. I hope you and Tanaka have been behaving.” The bald boy at the back flicks up a peace symbol before he continues sweeping the floor, and Noya grins as he nods. Something tells Sawamura differently, their perceived innocence much too… Quiet. _Especially_ Noya, the younger and louder of the two.

“Uh-huh, why don’t we sit down and talk about that whilst Tanaka checks the horses?” Noya whines, but a pat on his head silences him and he pouts as Sawamura guides him away. Oikawa can’t help but muffle a giggle as he thinks of the Karasuno leader as a perpetually tired older brother.

“So how’s many horses you got?” 

“5. It is most important for the dappled mare to be checked first.”

“Gotcha! Leave it to me!” Tanaka confidently jabs a thumb against his chest, and despite being younger than them, his assurance seems to ease their nerves. After coming all this way, they don’t want their horses to fail this assessment and have to stay behind.

Professionally, Tanaka runs his hands all over the horses, even wedging his fingers in their mouths to check their teeth. Persephone, of course, is not happy at all about the intrusion and attempts to bite down several times, if it weren’t for Hanamaki chiding her every time she so much as moves. She knows who her rider is, that’s for sure.

But after giving them all a check-over, he returns to Rhea, eyebrows drawn together tightly and lips pursed. With a serious expression, he turns to Iwaizumi.

“You can’t ride this horse anymore.”

“I- What?”

“You can’t _ride_ this horse anymore! She’s pregnant!” Iwaizumi blinks, jaw dropping and closing like a goldfish.

“I can’t- She’s- Rhea’s _pregnant_?!”

“Sure is! Congratulations, you’re gonna have a foal on your hands soon!” Rhea looks very pleased for herself, nodding her head up and down as she snorts with glee. Oikawa laughs, until he’s suddenly knocked out the way, Kronus pushing past to nuzzle against the mare. Well. That answers one question.

“Guess this guy is the father! It’s prob’ly best to keep ‘em apart for most of the time though. It ain’t bad to keep the mares together, but mama horse might be a lil’ tempermental with the stallions. ‘Specially not the one that _ain’t_ the father.” Glimpsing at Hades, Tanaka wedges himself between the two just in case.

“Wait, so… Does this mean she can’t come with us?”

“She can… But you can’t ride her. And yer gonna have to be careful who she interacts with. I would _suggest_ leaving her here.” Iwaizumi bites into his bottom lip. Oikawa wraps an arm around his waist, pulling Kuroo in to babble against Iwaizumi’s upper arm, and Hanamaki rests a hand on his shoulder comfortingly.

“Hey… If you choose to leave Rhea here, Persephone can stay with her. They might be complete opposites, but they’re best buds.”

“I- I don’t know… I can’t ask you to do that, Hanamaki.”

“Sure you can! Lil’ P would be _great_ company for Rhea! And really, we’re about to get on a boat. I don’t think the horses would be a great help on the boat.” Whilst Iwaizumi picks at his lip, peeling off dead skin, Matsukawa wanders around the dock stables and checks out the area.

“Honestly, there’s enough room for us to leave _all_ our horses.”

“That would be irresponsible.”

“I know, Ushijima, I know. But considering _we’ve_ never seen an ocean or been on a boat, how are our horses going to react?” The Shiratori Prince hums lowly in thought. It’s true that even he had to give his horses time to accustom to new things when he was training them. There’s a huge risk that the Aobajousai equestrians could completely freak out once on board and set sail.

“I see. In that case, I encourage your decision. I’ll cover the fee for boarding them here.” The small conversation seems to have perked Iwaizumi up a little bit. He feels much more content leaving Rhea here if she has her ‘herd’ with her. He passes the reins over to Tanaka, who beams back encouragingly, and ushers the sweet, rotund mare into a stall.

“I’ll put yer other mare in th’ one next t’ her, and the stallions opposite so they can still see each other. That alright?” Nods all around are followed by Tanaka moving like a _whirlwind_ getting the horses settled in and packed up. By the time he’s just locking the gate to Hades stall with a rewarding whistle, the back door opens up.

“But Dai _chiiiiiii_ , we don’t _**need**_ Suga to come watch over us!”

“If you’re wasting time plaiting the horses manes and tails, obviously you do!”

“But they like it! It makes them feel pretty!” Sawamura sighs, dragging a hand down his face with an expression of exhaustion.

“I understand, Noya, but your duties come first.” The young teenager pouts, a flicker of rebellion in his golden eyes, like fire. Nonetheless, he nods.

“Okay, Daichi.” With a smile, Sawamura claps his hands.

“All is said and done, so I think we’re ready to go!” To Iwaizumi, who doesn’t want to be anywhere _near_ the water, it’s like a whirlwind of activity and he’s being dragged along the docks towards the Fluyt and there’s so much _water_ just beneath his feet-

It’s dizzying, and it’s only Oikawa’s hand squeezing his that keeps him grounded. He can hear the multitudes of seabirds, mostly the pelicans this bay is named after, and the gulls that swarm the docks for scraps of food. He can smell the salt of the ocean and the hauls of fish brought fresh off the fishing boats. It’s somewhat overwhelming, but breathing deeply helps.

Ushijima checks that all of them are still in their group, before he turns his head skywards and observes the sails of the Fluyt fluttering loosely in the bay breeze. His keen eyes scan the moving bodies on the deck, searching for one in particular. When he can’t spot who it is that he wants, he takes a deep breath and cups his hands around his mouth.

“Tendou!” There’s a slam of a door being opened, followed by a whoop and cackle as the most _wild_ person Oikawa has ever seen swings over the edge of the Fluyt on a rope, letting go in mid air and flipping to land on his feet in a crouched position with one palm flat on the floor, the other extended dramatically behind him, and head held down. Jupiter takes a few steps back, startled.

A beat of silence. Hanamaki and Matsukawa share a concerned glance before Hanamaki reaches a hand out, intending to put it on the person’s shoulder.

“Are you alri-”

“Mmmmm _miracle boy, **Wakatoshi**_!” Tendou leaps to his feet, limbs spread out haphazardly like a star, huge grin in place with his eyes creased at the sides. Ushijima rolls his eyes, although there is a tug at the edge of his lips.

“Yes, hello again, Tendou. It’s been a while.” Clearing his throat, Ushijima turns back to Sawamura and the Aobajousai boys. He holds a hand out flatly towards Tendou, introducing him.

“This is Tendou Satori, the captain of this ship. I trust him more than any other seafarer to get us safely across Okeanos.”

“Aww, shucks, ‘Toshi, you’re too kind!”

“You’re welcome?”

“You know it!” Sawamura knows that dealing with Tendou can be both exhausting and irritating, but something about Ushijima’s dynamic with the former-pirate gives him a sense of relief. Maybe there won’t be an attempted murder on board after all. Although… From the strange glares Hanamaki and Matsukawa give Tendou, he wonders if he might have to keep them apart.

… _Very_ far apart.

“Captain, we’re ready to set sail when you are.” A quiet voice heralds the appearance of a boy around the same age as the bay stablehands - maybe 16 at most - with a sleepy expression. His short black hair is swept to the right, although his fringe looks ready to fall over his dark brown eyes at any moment. 

Even with that soft spoken voice and adorable sleepiness written across his face, something gives off the sense that he won’t tolerate any deviousness whatsoever.

“Ennoshita.” Those brown eyes light up minimally when they fall on Sawamura, who raises a hand in greeting, and gets one in return. Tendou brushes off his clothes and gestures to the wooden gangway onto the ship’s main deck. 

“Hope you’ve got your sea legs, landlubbers~.” Once more, Hanamaki and Matsukawa are left baffled as Tendou flits away, Sawamura and Ushijima following after him without a care in the world, Sawamura heading towards the boy he greeted, and Ushijima following Tendou to put Jupiter in the animal holding area - unaware there’s already a boy and pony hiding aboard.

“I-... Did you understand that? ‘Cus I didn’t.”

“Nope. A different language, I think.” Invisible and undetectable, Kenma slaps a hand to his forehead. It’s not a different language at all - not really - but he isn’t going to strain his magic control even further by translating _pirate_ speech. They’re on their own for this.

“C’mon, Iwa-chan. You’ll be fine.”

“I know, I know. Just- Just don’t let go, okay?” He squeezes his eyes shut as he clenches his hand around Oikawa’s, practically cutting off the Prince’s blood supply. But asides from a wince, Oikawa doesn’t react. He knows that if he pulls his hand away, Iwaizumi is likely to either freak out, or run off and stubbornly refuse to come back.

With a fragile but reassuring smile, Oikawa leads Iwaizumi up the gangway and onto the ship. It helps that Kuroo babbles and gurgles and _shouts_ like he knows that drowning out the sound of the sea would help. He’s a weird, suspiciously clever baby. 

“One foot in front of the other… That’s it, you’re doing great, Iwa-chan.”

“Sh-Shut up and get me somewhere with _walls_.” Matsukawa snorts and hides a grin in his elbow whilst Hanamaki outright laughs and gives Iwaizumi a slap on the back that almost knocks him off-balance. Luckily, Oikawa is there to catch him, careful not to squash Kuroo as he supports his boyfriend.

“It’s not as bad as you think… Give it a chance?”

“No.”

“Just open your eyes?”

“ _No_.”

“For a couple of seconds?”

“Oikawa, I love and trust you, but _**no**_. I don’t want to, and I don’t think I _can_. Can you respect that?” Guiltily, Oikawa realises that he might be trying to push too far, too hard, too soon. Iwaizumi’s only just gotten the resolve to _try_ and get over his fear of water. It’ll do more harm than good to have him stand on open deck in the middle of the ocean.

“Of course. I’m sorry, let’s get you inside.” A huge sigh of relief is Iwaizumi’s response as Oikawa finds out where they can go, and safely leads him down some steps into a room full of hammocks. Most of them look lived in, but there’s a section that’s bare, and Oikawa realises it’s the designated area for travelling merchants and adventurers like themselves to sleep.

“Dibs on top bed!” Snatching his hand away from Iwaizumi, Oikawa leaps up towards the hammock, swaying innocently where it’s tacked up, and-

“Oof!” - Is promptly spun around it and dropped onto his back on the floor. Granted, this is his first experience with a hammock, but even _Kuroo_ sighs in disappointment. Iwaizumi, on the other hand, tries not to laugh as he speaks, but he’s doing a poor job hiding his amusement.

“Oikawa… Did you ever stop to think that maybe, just _maybe_ , you could have done that more gracefully?” Oikawa groans, and that’s what finally makes Iwaizumi burst into handsome laughter, his nerves forgotten as he steps over to offer Oikawa a hand up.

But Oikawa has other plans. Smirking, he tugs Iwaizumi down to hover over him with a hand each side of his head. The knight blushes as Oikawa leans up, the tips of their noses brushing, his fingertips tracing Iwaizumi’s jawline.

“Now who’s graceful, hmm~?”

“Shut up.” Despite the seemingly harsh words, there’s no bite in Iwaizumi’s tone, nothing but warmth and affection seeping into his voice as he rests his forehead against Oikawa’s and sighs, staring lovingly into his eyes. Sometimes, Iwaizumi thinks he could get lost in Oikawa’s eyes. Cliche, but true.

“But you love my voice.”

“Mhm. I love a lot about you.”

“... Just a lot?” Chuckling, Iwaizumi moves his lips to Oikawa’s forehead, plants a soft, lingering kiss there, and ruffles the Prince’s hair as he hops to his feet, offering Oikawa a hand up.

“ _Most_ things~.”

“Well, I love most things about you too, but especially not your sloppy, wet raspberries!” Iwaizumi grins. Oikawa realises his mistake. 

Iwaizumi grips his wrist a little tighter so he can’t escape. Oikawa pales.

Stepping forwards, Iwaizumi wraps his free arm around Oikawa’s waist and pulls him in close, taking a deeeeeep breath, Oikawa squirming and begging playfully to be released, although his eyes sparkle and there’s no way he could smile wider without hurting himself.

“Iwawa! Nah!!!” Kuroo holds both arms out straight to try and keep him away, keep them apart because he fear he’ll be crushed between them if Iwaizumi does as planned. He instantly regrets it when Iwaizumi’s attention turns to him instead.

In a matter of seconds, he can’t stop squealing with laughter as Iwaizumi blows a massive raspberry against his cheek, his little baby fat cheeks vibrating so much that Kuroo remembers just _how_ ticklish he is. 

He laughs loud and free and so much that he feels it in his belly, clapping his tiny hands against Iwaizumi’s cheeks as if to push him away. He can hear Oikawa laughing too, tickled pink at the sweet interaction between Iwaizumi and their temporary baby. Once Iwaizumi draws away, wiping Kuroo’s cheek dry with his sleeve, Oikawa rests his head on Iwaizumi’s shoulder.

“Looks like you have someone else to pick on, Iwa-chan~. I might get a little jealous, y’know.”

“Don’t worry, I’ll get you yet~.”

“I take it back, you can pick on Tetsu-chan all you like.”

“Nah! Nah nah nah!” Oikawa huffs, ruffling Kuroo’s hair.

“Shh, you little pest~. You’re at our mercy now.” If Kuroo had been able to cast an All Sight spell upon himself so he could still see Kenma through his Complete Erasure - which he can’t because he’s stuck as a _baby_ \- he would have seen Kenma having possibly the _**best**_ day of his life, laughing so hard he had to lean against the doorframe just to stay on his feet, absolutely howling at the bewildered expression on Kuroo’s face.

Kenma steps back just in time as the door opens and Hanamaki pops his head in, not quite grinning but more than smiling.

“Hey, we’re about to head off. You gotta come see this, Oikawa, the sails are _amazing_ and there’s a huge anchor and it’s great! Some people from the docks are here to wave us off too.” Oikawa stands up straight, undoing the sling from around his chest.

“I’ll leave Tetsu-chan with you, Iwa-chan. Since it’s enclosed, you can let him crawl around in here.” Kuroo almost sobs with relief as Iwaizumi nods dutifully and takes the bundle in his arms, unwrapping the blanket from around him. He was so _cramped_. 

With Iwaizumi somewhere safe and Kuroo in his care, Oikawa exits the room and shuts the door behind him securely. He double checks it before following Hanamaki over to the side of the ship, leaning against the high wooden rails. They’re intricately carved, he realised, swirling patterns of roses and swans amongst waves that he hopes don’t get as high as they look on the carvings.

“Oikawa. I was expecting you to stay with Iwaizumi below deck.” Had this been just under 2 weeks ago, when they first begun travelling with Ushijima, Oikawa would have retorted with something snappy and harsh, aiming to hurt Ushijima’s feelings and release the pent up rage and hatred inside of him. But they’ve been travelling together so long, and Oikawa’s come to somewhat of an… Understanding.

Ushijima Wakatoshi isn’t the villain Oikawa thought him to be. He’s a good person at heart, and an okay friend to have. So rather than get angry, he simply hums and traces his fingertips over the delicate carvings.

“Iwa-chan’s strong - sometimes even stronger than _I_ give him credit for. He’s got Tetsu-chan with him too. If he wanted me to stay with him, he would have said.” Ushijima nods sagely.

“I see.” Then, he smiles.

“So, are you excited to be leaving Shiratori?”

“Am I _ever_! Nice landscapes and all, but the temperatures varied too much for my liking and it took _forever_ to travel.”

“... Oikawa, it’s only been 12 days since we begun travelling together. 13 that you were in Shiratori.”

“And yet, it felt like forever. We saw snow, rain and _blistering_ sunshine. Ushiwaka, your country has absolutely no consistency.” With a soft snort of amusement, Ushijima leans against the railings with his arms folded and resting on them.

“I do apologise for things I can’t control~.”

“You should! Seijou would _never_ have wildly fluctuating weather systems like that!” It might not be clear to anyone listening in that this bickering is all in jest, a fun verbal interaction that forms the basis of Oikawa and Ushijima’s (reluctant) friendship.

“Set saaaaaaail!” The loud call from Captain Tendou at the helm near the stern of the ship heralds a cheer amongst the crew, bustling into action to get the boat moving. Hanamaki and Matsukawa jog over to Oikawa’s side, leaning over the railings and waving enthusiastically at the dock workers who return the goodbyes with good nature and friendly grins. 

The boat lurches as a gust of wind catches the sails, and then, it smoothly glides along the edge of the walkway, riding the waves as it exits the docks. Oikawa can’t hold back a squeal of excitement, overjoyed to be leaving, well on his way to completing his Trial! Completing early, at this point!

“This is going to be so exciting! I can’t wait to see what we’ll see! And hear! Ooh, and if you’ll catch one of your beasts, Ushijima!” A laugh escapes the Empire Prince at Hanamaki’s babbling, his eyes closing and creasing in happiness. There’s an infectious feeling of overwhelming _triumph_ and childish euphoria at starting the next part of their adventure that not even the crew can deny.

“- _jima_!” His laugh trails off, sure that he heard something on the wind.

“Ushijima!” No, not on the wind. From the _docks_. He leans over the edge of the Fluyt a little further, Matsukawa grabbing the back of his clothes to stop him falling forwards, and his eyes widen as he spots a horse barrelling towards them.

That’s Uranus, one of his own horses! He _would_ be angry, if it wasn’t for the person riding his horse with an expression of absolute panic.

“Semi, what’s wrong?!” Uranus jumps over a group of the dock workers, speeding along until they’re alongside the ship. But Semi and Uranus are running out of ground to race along.

“It’s Tsutomu, your Highness! He’s missing! We think he might be with you!”

“Tsu- Tsutomu? Impossible…”

“Please, your Highness! We can’t find him anywhere else and we’ve been searching more than a week! We-!” Semi’s desperate plead is cut off as Uranus screeches to a halt. The docks have reached their end, and the ship gains distance. 

Panting, Semi gathers one last breath to shout after the boat, hoping he’ll be heard above the waves.

“Please, Ushijima, please! He _has_ to be with you! Please look after him!” His voice echoes and lingers in their ears. Hanamaki guiltily looks away, Matsukawa bites his bottom lip, and Oikawa presses his fingers together whilst trying not to suspiciously whistle. 

But Ushijima doesn’t notice. He stands straight, head hung low with blinding rage - and a building fear that his brother may be lost or dead somewhere - and walks to the centre of the ship. He inhales deeply and sharply, snapping his head skywards.

_“TSU **TOMU**!!!!!”_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The village side of the docks was based off Ine, a fishing village in Kyoto famous for Funaya! Make sure to google image search it, because it's _beautiful_!!!
> 
> Please Kudos/Comment!!!  
> As much as I'd like to update monthly, lack of feedback is starting to seriously dampen my motivation for this fic. Please comment!!! I'll update on schedule if there's 5 comments, otherwise it'll be a long wait.


	7. Meteor magic, Ghostly galleons, and That Day™.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Whom else loves and adores Ushiwaka as a big brother?

Jinsoku, Ushijima’s falcon, returns as stars start to fill the sky, and he only gives the bird a few short moments to rest and feed whilst he scribbles a response, and then he sends the falcon off again, mumbling angrily under his breath the whole time.

Admittedly, he’s still furious that his _baby_ brother - only 10 years old! - has somehow followed them all this way and boarded the _ship_ without him even knowing. 

He’s partly relieved though, because he’d rather Tsutomu was here with them than stranded in the middle of the empire, lost, alone, and risking death from exposure. 

“Uh… ‘Toshi? You’re kinda scaring the kid.” They’re at the stern of the ship, Tendou steering the boat with all of his pirate and Captain expertise, listening to Ushijima mumble and grumble as he sends the falcon off, Goshiki hiding behind him, shaking, and clinging to his long coat with tear-filled eyes. Sighing, Ushijima pinches the bridge of his nose.

“I would like to make it very clear that _he_ scared _me_ first.” Dropping his arm back to his chest to fold them, Ushijima spins around on foot and marches up to the Captain. Or rather, his back. He crouches down to Goshiki’s height to address him directly.

“Do you have any idea what my immediate thought was when Semi said you were missing?! You could have been _anywhere_ , Tsutomu! You could have been held ransom, you could have been kidnapped and tortured, you could have been _**dead**_!” Tsutomu flinches and a tear escapes, trickling down his cheek as he hiccups, and his saltwater tears dampen the fire burning within Ushijima, quelling his rage. He sighs, dropping his head for a moment to push his fringe back stressfully before he opens his arms.

“Come here.” It doesn’t take Goshiki more than a heartbeat to fling himself into his brother’s arms, clinging on tightly with his arms around Ushijima’s neck and openly wailing into his shoulder, his cries muffled by Ushijima’s thick clothing. The older Prince hugs back tightly, rubbing a hand up and down his back and shushing him quietly.

“Shh, shhhh… It is okay now. You’re safe, I’ll look after you.” As Goshiki cries into his shoulder, Ushijima looks to the stars for reassurance, a peaceful smile dawning on his lips at the sight of _thousands_ possibly millions of bright white, flickering lights, hung in the sky as if they were there to be admired.

“If ya like the look of them so much, why doncha take the kid up to the crow’s nest? Don’t worry ‘bout Reon, he’d sleep through a thunda-storm if it happened in the dead o’ night.” 

“Thank you, Tendou. I might have to take you up on that offer.” He stands, scooping an arm under Goshiki’s bottom to lift him up, the child wrapping his legs around his brother and clinging on tightly for comfort with a sniffle. He’s calmed a little, at the least.

“Want to touch the stars, Tsutomu?” Wiping at his eyes one his sleeve, Goshiki pulls back so that he’s sitting entirely on Ushijima’s arm, through one of his small hands still clings to the silken material of Ushijima’s clothes.

“We can touch _stars_?” He sounds breathless with awe and wonder, and Ushijima dips his head as he smiles, closing his eyes to chuckle under his breath before peeling them open to look his baby brother in the eye.

“We’ll get as close as we can.” Gracefully, he strides across the wooden deck, over to the ropes at the side. He lowers Goshiki to the floor and begins to climb the rigging attached to the tallest mast, making his way towards the crow’s nest at the very top of the ship. With the seas this calm, it’s not a problem for him or his agile, spirited sibling.

“Careful climbing in, Tsutomu. If you slip, it’s a long drop.” Heaving himself over the wooden railing around the crow’s nest, Ushijima manages to avoid stepping on the sailor fast asleep in a sleeping bag up here by himself. Tendou had assured them that he wouldn’t wake, but Ushijima was still careful to be quiet as he gave Goshiki a hand up into the crow’s nest, and back into his arms.

“Woah!! Look, look!” Goshiki points to the sky and Ushijima follows his energetic, awed gaze. Almost immediately, his eyes widen, sparkling as they reflect the lights _all around_ them. The calmness of the ocean surface, the water still asides from the crests carved by their own ship, ensures the sky blends into the sea and no horizon is visible, but the _stars_... 

The stars are _**everywhere**_ , in the soft glow of two moons, one in the air and one in the sea. But more so than that, there are yellow, amber, and red lumi-bugs, little larvae that spawn on the surface of the water and fly towards clouds to become full fledged insects, and these lumi-bugs dance their ballet on the water’s surface, a few early hatchlings already making towards the one sparse cloud in the sky. 

They move in a double helix spiral, glittering like they know they have an audience. The lumi-bugs have a challenger much farther up in the atmosphere, one that only Ushijima has seen as he looks up whilst his brother watches the stars ripple in the tiny waves. A meteor show, accompanied by its mother comet.

“Tsutomu, look.” He jostles the child and directs his eyes skywards, and for once, Goshiki is silent. His jaw drops as his lungs are stolen away and his heart captivated by the magnificent sight, a rounded comet streaking through the sky in a brilliant blaze of magnesium white, leaving lingering rainbow sparkles in its wake that don’t seem to dull until the meteor shower washes over them, leaving their own coloured streaks behind.

In unison, the brothers reach up as if the night sky is liquid they could dip their fingertips into, as if they could slide their hands through it like it were velveteen oil, as if they could touch it and the stars like it would meet them halfway. Goshiki is fascinated even if Ushijima lowers his arm quickly.

“How many meteors can you count?”

“Umm… Seven? No, eight! There’s eight!” Ushijima nods, making sure Goshiki is safe and secure in his arms as the ten year old leans back to watch the comet and meteor shower pass overhead, dropping his arm from trying to grasp the midnight stars.

“The comet is called ‘The Mother’, and those meteors are her eight children. 2 daughters, of pale gold and silver. 4 sons, of green, pink, copper, and lilac. And her remaining children, of aqua and white.”

“She has a lotta kids…” Ushijma hums in thought, adjusting the cloak Tendou leant him to wrap around them both, keeping them warm as the night draws on.

“Yes, I suppose she does~. The legend tells that each child was just as loved as the others, and even though they were so very different from each other, the children loved each other too. They would bicker, like we do sometimes. They would play pranks, and get angry, and make each other cry… Just like us.”

“That’s cus we’re brothers. You’re my big brother and I’m your little brother. We’re s’posed to have fights and stuff, s’long as we make up.” Ushijima smiles softly as Goshiki rests heavily against him. He can feel the tiredness seeping into the child, but he’s much too occupied watching The Mother and her children make their own journey across sky and sea.

“Of course, Tsutomu. We’ll always make up.”

“What- What happened to The Mother and the kids…?” Taking a deep breath, Ushijima knows the rest of the legend will sting for Goshiki, but he won’t hide the truth. That would hurt even more so if he discovered it for himself.

“The Mother was growing old. She was expected to choose the next to rule the kingdom from her children, but many wanted the first born to rule, whilst others fought over how a daughter would be more suitable since The Mother had been a wise and fair ruler. Many others were determined for a male king, since they wanted to project strength. The land broke into civil war and death swept across the land mercilessly.”

“That’s horrible…”

“I’m afraid it gets worse.” He pauses, waiting for Goshiki to tell him to stop, but the boy only flicks his eyes towards him before looking back at the stars all around them, since The Mother and her meteor children have crossed the horizon. The rainbow sparkles and colourful streaks remain behind, painting the dark blue night sky in iridescence.

“At some point in the conflict, aggressions turned towards The Mother who refused to chose one child alone to rule. Even the children did not agree that there should be one ruler, and all eight wished to reign together. But the citizens would not allow.” He stops again, looking up at the brightest star.

“They stormed the palace on a night like tonight. The Mother and her children were gathered unguarded in the palace gardens to watch the great sky colouring, when an aurora would stretch as far as the eye could see and bless good grace upon the land.”

“I’ve seen that, I’ve seen that! It happened on my birthday, right?!” Ushijima shushes Goshiki with a dip of his head towards Reon in the sleeping bag. After a moment's pause, he snores, making the two brothers sigh with relief before Goshiki giggles at the bear-like noise.

“Mhm~. It was hard to see because it was cloudy, but the aurora has happened on both our birthdays every year so far~.” Goshiki breathes out a small _‘wow…’_ , scanning the skies as if the aurora will appear with great luminosity, summoned by name.

“So what happened to The Mother next…?”

“She called the aurora down to protect her children, using her great barrier magic to turn it into a powerful shield. But in doing so, she had left herself defenceless.” This is the part he knows will hurt, will probably make Goshiki cry - out of sympathy more than anything - and it seems that the younger has worked it out too, looking up at Ushijima with an expression of distress and helplessness. 

“The Mother was brutally tortured and killed in front of her children for her sacrifice. I won’t go into detail, but it was… Incredibly harsh. Beyond anything seen in the history books.”

“... Just ‘cos it’s not in the history books, doesn’t mean it didn’t happen.” His eyes are darker now, half closed, and there are shadows at the edge of his frown. 

Ushijima doesn’t know what Goshiki saw, that fateful night when he was 5. But he knows it had to be bad, from the way his father had wailed for weeks before moulding himself into the stern Emperor he was to this day. He hugs his little brother a little tighter.

“I’m sorry.” The boy sniffs, willing himself not to cry, but his voice is choked up when he speaks.

“T-Tell me the rest of the legend?” Ushijima presses his lips to his forehead, black fringe brushed aside by his nose. He lingers there just to give Goshiki the comfort he needs before drawing away and looking up at the now-fading sparkles and coloured streaks.

“The children did not want that for their mother. So, they stood in a circle, linked hands, and absorbed the magic of the aurora into their souls. The force of the magic ripped them from their mortal bodies, but in doing so, they were able to convert that energy into finding their mother’s departed soul, and brought her back to them.”

“So how’d they become meteors and a comet then?” 

“As the legend goes, the aurora accidentally took them along as it returned to the sky, passing through a field of meteorites that would have struck earth and killed all those who partook in the civil war. But the love of The Mother and her eight children embedded themselves in the rock, overriding the vengeful punishment of the gods. To this day, they travel the sky, bringing goodwill and ensuring kindness amongst the people who walk the lands their kingdom sat upon.”

“Shiratori?”

“Yes, and all the lands to east. Okeanos was originally the heart of their kingdom, but their tears of relief at being united forever drowned the hatred that brew there, forcing those at war to separate and go their different ways.” Goshiki smiles up at the falling sparkles, the last of them raining down whilst the lumi-bugs flew up. Sometimes, they encountered each other with a burst of rainbow light before the dazed lumi-bug continued on.

“Maybe Mama and I will cry a whole _new_ ocean when I see her again~.” Ushijima frowns. His face falls and his brow furrows. Then, he sighs. Goshiki is just a child, and although he must be aware of what he’s insinuating, he might not know the full effect of his words.

“I’m sure she’s watching over you every day, proud of you for growing so strong and _sneaky_. And maybe a little annoyed at your tendency to run off, hmm~?” He expects Goshiki to answer back with a snarky little snap, but fatigue must win over as the boy turns and snuggles into his shoulder, holding on tight.

“Maybe. But s’only cus I look up t’you.” He never would have said that if he were fully awake, but the truth comes out with tiredness, and as Goshiki’s eyes flutter closed and his breathing smoothes out, Ushijima holds him even closer and presses their cheeks together with a huge, beaming smile.

“I look up to you too, Tsutomu. I love you.” The sleeping child doesn’t hear it, but he smiles in his sleep all the same, lulled to peace by the legend of The Mother being united with her beloved children for all eternity. He loves his own brother just as much as the eight children must have, and sometimes wishes that _neither_ of them would have to become Emperor.

As more clouds begin to gather, painting the sky and sea with light greys, Ushijima somehow manages to safely climb down the rigging with one hand, the other tucked under his precious cargo as a support. 

Tendou spots them coming down and salutes with two fingers to his brow, letting Ushijima know he won’t still think they’re up there when morning comes. The Prince retraces his footsteps back to the stern, coming to a halt besides the Captain.

“Aww, lookit him. He’s plum tuckered out.”

“Yes. He fell asleep whilst we were stargazing.”

“Catch any stars then?” The good-natured tease pulls a rumbling laugh from Ushijima’s gut, though he manages to keep it quiet.

“Not quite. Perhaps we should try with a net next time~.”

“Hey, why not go all the way? Catch the _sun_! Would save me the trouble o’ having t’ squint at daybreak.”

“I apologise, Tendou. I do not think I can catch the sun.” The wild Captain cackles, head thrown back before he corrects himself, keeping his hands on the wheel securely and trusting his memory that this patch of Okeanos is clear. 

As a former pirate, he knows all the currents, every island and islet, every rock and coral reef. It was what made him a good Captain once he had reformed, surprisingly from a friendship struck up with a once-kidnapped Prince.

“You should head to bed, ‘Toshi. S’a spare hammock in my quarters set up for the kid, but I reckon ya could squish another one in there.” Ushijima blinks. Even if they’ve been friends a long time, there are still moments when he doesn’t understand Tendou.

“I… Presume that means you are allowing us to use your quarters?”

“Don’t touch me stuff~.” That’s permission enough. Ushijima takes Goshiki into the Captain’s quarters, nestling the boy in the spare hammock set up in the corner with a soft pillow and two blankets. It takes him a while to set up another one next to it, fighting the latches on the hammock to get them to attach to the ceiling, but he finally works it out.

“Good night, Tsutomu.” He’s about to clamber into his own hammock and settle down to sleep when he suddenly remembers that his belongings are still in the crew and travellers sleeping quarters. With a sigh, he slips quietly out the room and into the next.

He freezes.  
He’s not the only one. 

Practically everyone in the cabin is still awake, more so than Ushijima feels. Although his primary emotion at the moment is _confusion_.

Why are the crew in uproar and frozen as if they were cheering? What is Matsukawa throwing plates for? Why is Oikawa, in only his _braies_ , being held against a wall by Sawamura and Iwaizumi with an apple on his head, sobbing? How is that cracked teapot _**floating?!**_ There are so many things Ushijima could have asked, but what comes out first and foremost is;

“Hanamaki, why are you using your arrows in an enclosed, unsafe space?” The guard glances sideways guiltily, his elbow pulled back with the string drawn and arrow pointing towards Oikawa. Or rather, towards the apple on his head. The teapot shatters as it hits the ground, whatever was holding it up voluntarily letting go.

“Uhh… Entertainment?” With a grin, Matsukawa throws a plate up and Hanamaki instinctually releases the arrow, knocking the plate and dropping to the floor as it rebounds. 

The plate, struck by the arrow, spins as it heads in Oikawa’s direction and the edge of it _slices_ through the apple. Oikawa squeaks as the colour drains from his face, looking a little sick, although Kuroo and the crews mighty cheer at Hanamaki’s accomplishment drowns out his beg for _“No more…!”_

“... Please put it away. You should all be **sleeping**.” The tone of his voice paired with the sharp gaze that sweeps the room leaves no room for argument, the younger members of the crew - like Ennoshita and a boy named Shirabu - trailing off to their hammocks immediately.

Sawamura guiltily lets Oikawa go with a pat on the back, letting him collapse into Iwaizumi’s arms with a dramatic flair. Being dragged from his hammock just as he was falling asleep and then being forced into playing _William Tell_ almost naked wasn’t what he had envisioned happening tonight, and it had left him dizzied by the activity. A glimpse at the four or so halved apples on the floor tells Ushijima this had been going on for a while.

“I would question why you would choose to do this… But I somewhat fear the answer.” With a cheeky grin, Hanamaki shrugs and puts his bow and arrow away.

“Entertainment~.” Ushijima raises an eyebrow. Hanamaki fears no gaze and turns his back to Ushijima as he starts changing for bed. Wisely, Matsukawa is cleaning up the shattered teapot, chipped plates, discarded arrows, and halved fruit before he settles down for bed.

“Iwa-chan, you were so mean to me. So mean.”

“Well, I did warn you I’d get you earlier~.” But his actions are contradictory of his words, stroking a hand comfortingly through Oikawa’s hair and holding him close, fluttering his eyelashes against Oikawa’s cheek like he’s leaving behind thousands of tiny butterfly kisses. From the hammock just above floor level, Kuroo fakes a gag.

“I thought you were going to stay out yelling at Tsutomu all night.” Ushijima rolls his eyes at the tease from Sawamura, already back in his hammock with his hands behind his head.

“No. We have already made up. I only came here to collect my belongings, though.”

“Oh?”

“Tendou has allowed for Tsutomu and I to share his cabin for the night.” Sawamura makes a sound of content at his information, but it’s Oikawa, fighting with his hammock that answers back.

“Don’t stay up all night talking, ‘kay~?”

“... Tsutomu is already asleep and I shall be too, very shortly.”

“I meant you and the _Captain_.”

“He will be steering the ship through the night. Unless we talk **very** loudly, there will be no conversation between Tendou and I.” Oikawa’s nose scrunches up and he shoots Ushijima a half-hearted glare. 

On the bright side, he’s finally stopped wrestling his hammock, although his arms hang limply either side of it with his cheek smushed into the pillow. He fears moving and undoing all his hard work.

“Fuck conversation, there’s about to be a defenestration in here.” From the crew hammocks, there’s a yawn and then Ennoshita chimes out with;

“No windows in here.” Shirabu follows it up with a snort that _might_ be a laugh.

“Save your defenestrating for tomorrow. Let us _sleep_.” Humbly, Ushijima apologizes, gathering his essential items before stepping out the room. He glances over at his travelling companions once more to make sure they’re resting - and other than Iwaizumi, who reads over some burrowed scriptures - he can rest assured knowing that they won’t cause anymore trouble.

Well… At least he hopes. He never _can_ tell, with Oikawa and Hanamaki left together in an enclosed space. He sighs into the night air before ducking back into Tendou’s quarters, grateful that Tsutomu at least is still sleeping.

It doesn’t take long for Ushijima to follow in his wake, lying flat on his back in his own hammock with his hands folded peacefully over his stomach. He seems to fall asleep in the blink of an eye.

The 2 weeks that follow pass by just as quick, and it’s baffling to believe they’ve been at sea for 13 days now. 

In some cruel twist of irony, Iwaizumi is the first to gain his ‘sea legs’, as Tendou calls them. He no longer stumbles when the ship suddenly peaks over a wave or catches a ripple in the water, and he seems to move with the motion of the boat itself. That doesn’t mean he’ll come out from below deck. _At all_.

Sawamura and Goshiki don’t take long to adjust either, darting around the deck like they were born here. Goshiki wasn’t, Ushijima is 100% sure of that. The Shiratori Prince himself picks up his ‘sea legs’ on the 9th day, and Oikawa only wobbles when they hit a harsh wave. Matsukawa prefers to sit down so he doesn’t stumble like a drunkard, or down as much grog as possible so he at least had an excuse for it.

It doesn’t bother Kuroo so much, since he crawls anyways. If he ever needs to stand, he does it via clinging to someone’s leg _very_ tightly. And right at the negative end of the spectrum…

Hanamaki doesn’t get much of a chance to even try developing ‘sea legs’. He’s taken up a permanent position at the side of the Fluyt, leaning over the intricately carved railing. Occasionally, someone pats his back sympathetically, though it’s mostly out of pity. Hanamaki’s excitement to sail is torn to shreds by violent seasickness. There’s even a bucket nestled next to his hammock just in case.

“How are you feeling?” Matsukawa rubs his back in slow, comforting circles, letting Hanamaki slump against his side with a groan. He’s looking pallid, though his cheeks are flushed and his hair clings to his forehead with sweat. He manages to choke out a slightly louder sickly groan at the question.

“I know, sweetheart, I know.” He presses his lips quickly to the shell of Hanamaki’s ear, pulling back quick enough that he doesn’t catch a whiff of the stench of vomit, since that would set him off too. He’s pretty sure they don’t _both_ need to be heaving over the side of the Fluyt.

“How- How much longer do I have to suffer, Issei…? How far until Fukuro- Urp!” Hanamaki leans over the edge as much as he can and Matsukawa takes that as his cue to turn around so he doesn’t see anything, although he continues rubbing Hanamaki’s back until he finishes emptying his stomach.

“Want me to find out?”

“ _Please_.” Checking once more that he’s okay, Matsukawa parts Hanamaki’s side to head up to the stern. Since it’s after Midnight but before Midday, the one at the helm is _not_ Tendou, but the skipper, Yamagata. He has just as much authority as Tendou when it comes to navigating these seas, but Matsukawa finds him much easier to get along with.

For one thing, he doesn’t use weird language like ‘cackle fruit’, ‘hang the jib’, and ‘splice the mainbrace’. Although Matsukawa has come to learn that the last one proceeds rounds of alcohol, so he’s not complaining.

“Yo.” He raises a hand in greeting as he steps up the stairway towards the wheel. Good natured Yamagata grins back, though his hands don’t leave the wheel.

“Yo-ho-ho~. What brings you up here?” Comfortable in each others presence, Matsukawa leans against the bannister in front of him, watching the crew and his companions bustle down below. 

“The love of my life is craving land, so I wanted to ask roughly how long we have left until Fukurodani?” With an amused hum under his breath, Yamagata licks his thumb and holds it up, twisting it a few times.

“If the weather stays like this, a mere 8 days. But there’s a storm on the horizon, so we’re racing to keep ahead of it.”

“What danger is a storm?” The skipper gives him a look like he’s _stupid_ for asking, but calms it over with a chuckle.

“Sorry, I forget you’ve never been on an ocean before~. You ever seen a pond or lake in a storm?” Matsukawa shakes his head slowly, not understanding how a patch of water like those can measure up to _Okeanos_.

“In storms, gale force winds whip up the water like no other. It makes for rough sailing. Sometimes, in the worst of them, it’s best to sit tight and bear through it.” 

“How… How rough is rough?”

“Very. Ever been to Dovekie canyon?” Reminiscing, a small smile blossoms on Matsukawa’s face.

“Yeah, just a month ago. It’s pretty chilly~.” His face falls when he realises Yamagata is not smiling at all. He’s staring dead ahead with a serious frown and eyebrows drawn together stressfully.

“I’ve seen waves as high as those canyon walls.” Matsukawa can only summon one response.

“What the fuck.”

“Ahaha! Not to worry! That was in a patch of ocean we’ll be avoiding entirely. Our Captain back then was a _fool_ , so it’s no surprise that a mutiny followed. Our surviving crew voted Tendou as captain, and that’s how we became fearsome pirates!” His grin and the hand he punched in the air as if to celebrate a victory drop back slowly. Even his eyes seem to lose a little of their spark.

“We lost a lot of friends to that storm.”

“I- I’m sorry.” Like a switch is flicked, Yamagata grins again.

“No problem, you didn’t have a say in it. But now you know why Okeanos storms are good to stay ahead of!”

“I’m pretty sure ‘Hiro would kill someone - or himself - if this got rougher.” His smirk flicks up at the edges as he watches Oikawa take a drink of water over to Hanamaki, cheerfully talking to him as if Hanamaki wasn’t just being seasick. Violently. Nodding his head towards them, Yamagata has a knowledgeable twinkle in his eyes.

“Tell your friend to close his eyes, breathe slow, not deep, and if that doesn’t work, jam his thumb against the roof of his mouth.”

“Pirate trick?” 

“ _Sailor_ trick~.” Whilst Matsukawa returns to Hanamaki’s side, Yamagata whistles sharply. His one short, high-pitched whistle is answered with three elongated low ones from the crow’s nest. All it means is that Reon sights no danger from the weather, no danger from other ships, and no danger from the ocean itself. 

Hourly reports are good and well, but things change as quickly as possible, and Yamagata likes to keep himself updated every few minutes. Reon doesn’t mind. He’s an _angel_ of a person, really.

And his constant lookout means that occasionally, he’ll send a whistle without a prompt. A warning. It’s only fourteen minutes later when Reon’s whistle sounds out, one short, high pitched trill, followed by two elongated low notes. Something has changed, and just from his whistle, Yamagata knows it’s the weather.

“Soekawa! Get up here!” From his position manning the ropes that control the sails, Jin passes everything over to Shirabu and runs up to Yamagata’s side with a salute. On some occasions, he’ll make a joke to lighten the skipper’s mood or just break the silence, but he can tell from the urgency in Yamagata’s voice that something serious is happening.

“Reon’s spotted heavy clouds heading in our direction. Seems like we’ve outrun one storm straight into another. I want you to get all travellers and under 18’s below deck, then wake the Captain. Tendou is greater at battling storms than any of us. That’s an order.”

“Yes sir!” Jin might rank above Yamagata, as the quartermaster, but it’s not his call for decisions on weather and sailing the Fluyt. His authority is with cargo and people, and he intends to take it very seriously. He returns to his previous position, shunting Shirabu with his hip as he ties some of the ropes to the mast.

“Grab Ennoshita, Prince Goshiki and the baby, get below deck, quickly. Ah, pass the message to our guests too. I trust they’re responsible enough to follow orders.”

“What? Aren’t I good enough to help out now?”

“You’re _15_ , Kenjirou. Yamagata’s orders are for anyone below 18 to take shelter.” He can see the mood and discontent in Shirabu’s eyes, and puts a warm hand on his shoulder with a tense smile.

“Hey, I’m putting you in charge of keeping them safe, okay? Ennoshita hasn’t been with us as long as you, Prince Goshiki has _no_ sense of danger, and the baby is… Well, a baby. I need you to look after them, okay?”

“... I’m in charge, right?”

“Yes.” Reluctantly, Shirabu sighs and nods, walking calmly towards the galley and scooping Kuroo up as the ‘baby’ attempts to crawl from one hatch to another. Considering he’s never held a baby before, Kuroo doesn’t fuss. It’s not as comfortable as how Iwaizumi holds him, but it’s better than the sling.

“Chikara.” He calls into the galley, disrupting conversation between Ennoshita and Sawamura. They’ve been catching up a lot, and the head of Karasuno has been helping prepare the meals whilst he’s here. Better him than some of the others, who could burn water.

“What’s wrong, Ken?” 

“We’ve got to go below deck. Skipper’s orders.” His eyes drift to Sawamura who watches with confusion as Ennoshita swears under his breath and works fluidly to secure everything in drawers and cupboards, fitting a lock across them. The young teenager knows what an order like that means, and Shirabu peers out from behind his fringe at Sawamura.

“That means you too, _traveller_. I won’t take responsibility if you fall overboard.”

“Alright, alright~. I’m coming.” Sawamura takes Kuroo as the baby reaches out to him, making sure he’s securely in his arms. It’s no surprise that the boat is already starting to rock from the slightly increasing waves. Storms stretch out a lot further than their clouds, when it comes to the ocean.

“I had a feeling we’d run into a storm at one point or another.” Shirabu nods and helps Ennoshita tidy the kitchen, before waving his hand flippantly towards the galley doors.

“You go ahead. I need to get the other travellers and Prince Ushijima.”

“Ushijima’s travelling too, you know?”

“Yes, but I actually respect him. Unlike that _noisy one_.” Sawamura chuckles heartily and shakes his head.

“I can’t tell if you’re referring to Oikawa, Hanamaki, or Tsutomu with that.”

“The brat. The kid. That- That _pathetic_ excuse for a half-blood prince.” It’s Ennoshita’s turn to laugh, as he grabs Shirabu by the back of the collar to drag him through the corridor from galley to deck.

“You’re just mad because he can climb the rigging and you _can’t_ ~.”

“Shut up. I can climb the rigging just fine.”

“Remember when you fell through so all your limbs were stuck in a different hole?” Shirabu sharpens his glare into a nasty snarl.

“That was once! You’re such an _ass_ , Chikara.” 

“Language.” Rolling his eyes, the 15 year old wrenches himself away from Ennoshita and gives them a pointed look. Sawamura continues talking.

“Ah. And don’t worry about Oikawa.” He points to the door to their quarters, where the Prince slips in with a greeting wave to the only person already inside - Iwaizumi. He must have decided to check up on him as soon as the waters started getting rough.

“I have to get the others. Go below deck.” With a nod, Sawamura and Ennoshita depart, taking Kuroo with them to the safe zone. Duty half done, Shirabu jogs over to the side, where Matsukawa is lovingly trying to offer Hanamaki comfort in these trying times, when the boat rocks and his seasickness makes him feel _terrible_.

“There’s a storm coming. Skipper’s orders are to stay below deck. Bring a bucket. … Or 4.” He cringes as Hanamaki retches again, Matsukawa slinging an arm around his shoulders and softly cooing as he leads his beloved inside. Lightning crackles in the sky, static making Shirabu’s hair stand on end, even his arm hair and the ones on back of his neck.

Something isn’t right about this storm. It moves too fast, closing in on them like they’re _targets_ , unable to escape because of the natural storm behind them. 

It’s like a predator, like it has a conscious, and Shirabu can just feel in his bones that something is deeply grievous about this swirl of rampaging dark clouds, electricity stalking across the sky, waves reaching up to claw at them, and thunder booming like the roar of a victorious griffin. He’s not the only on to sense it.

“I sense _dark MAGIC_.” If the storm is a predator, then Tendou - bursting from his cabin with a crazed look in his eye - is the top carnivore of the chain. 

He scrambles around like he’s skittering along a scent trail, leading him to climb halfway up the rigging and hold one with one hand, hunched towards the storm with his eyes narrowed hungrily. His long, lizardous tongue sweeps slowly over his lips.

“Yamagata. Head straight for it.”

“ _What_?! No offence, Captain, but are you _**crazy**_?! We’re not pirates anymore! We have _kids_ on board!”

“The beast is coming for a battle, we’ll take the fight to _it_. Batten down the hatches! Fasten the deadlights! We’re going in!” Sometimes, Shirabu wonders if Tendou has a desire to get them all killed. But, he’s got them this far, led them through much more dangerous situations, so Shirabu will (reluctantly) trust him. 

Yamagata steers the ship towards the storm, Tendou grabbing a free rope and swinging down to the stern, getting an earful about how it’s really a bad idea and Yamagata is only obeying because they’ve been friends since forever. 

Shirabu’s issue is now trying to find Ushijima and Goshiki in an extremely short time, the seconds until they collide with the ominous storm counting down. Ushijima disappears like a shadow in the best of times, there’s no telling where he could be now. And Goshiki… Well, finding a boy who could vanish in an _empty room_ is no easy task.

“Prince Ushijima! Your Highness?” Calling out does not herald an answer, but a glance to the sky is all he needs to see Ushijima’s cape fluttering in the breeze by the crow’s nest, accompanying Reon. Getting to him means… Climbing the rigging. As much as he defends himself whenever Ennoshita says something, Shirabu has a secret.

He’s _terrified_ of scaling the ropes since he fell through them, each limb trapped in a different patch of netting, unable to break himself free in a blinding panic. Reon and Jin had leapt to his aid and saved him, Tendou allowing him to recover in his own quarters away from prying eyes.

But he’d never tried the ropes since then. He swallows down a lump in his throat, stepping up onto the side of the Fluyt railings, gripping onto the texture of the twisted vines beneath his hands.

“It’s okay… It’s okay… I can do this.” He exhales shakily and gains altitude, step by step, grip by grip. Strong, gale force winds shake the rigging, making it so much harder than it would on a normal day. The Fluyt peaks at the top of a wave, and with a gasp, Shirabu realises that as soon as it crashes down, he’s going to be forcefully shaken from the ropes.

“Grab hold!” He doesn’t stop to put a name or face to the voice, instantly grabbing the small hand that appears in front of him. Something loops around his waist, through the rigging, and grabs back onto his clothes at the same time whoever it was that grabbed him swings themselves around to press against his back, holding him securely in place.

The Fluyt slams back into the ocean, water drenching them as the wave splashes up over them and leaves them gasping for breath. He only realises it’s Goshiki when he catches a glimpse of black hair and a babyface.

“You-! What are you doing on the rigging in a _storm_ , you idiot?!”

“You’re here too!”

“Because I have to get you and Prince Ushijima inside! Skipper’s orders!” He continues his trembling ascent, ignoring Goshiki’s confused parrot of Yamagata’s title, stupidly determined to get to the Prince. He’s been told to. It’s what he _has_ to do. He must get to Ushijima, any way he can.

“You won’t be much help if you’re dead! Climb back down, I’ll get Wakatoshi!” As much as Shirabu hates to admit, Goshiki is correct. He can’t even watch with envy as the young Prince ascends the rigging with startling familiarity. It’s like _he’s_ the one who has a job on the boat, not Shirabu.

“Kenjirou?! What are you doing up there?!” Pausing in untying the ropes, Jin offers Shirabu a hand down to get off that troublesome rigging.

“I- I was going to get the Princes, like you told me too…” The quartermaster cups a hand affectionately over Shirabu’s shivering cheek. He really does care for the boy, as if he were his own brother.

“But not at risk of yourself… Good job though. Maybe next time you can get all the way to the top!”

“Please, no. I’d rather not.” The dry, bitter tone of Shirabu’s voice paired with his narrowed eyes and scrunched up nose causes Jin to muffle a chuckle behind his sleeve, turning back to untying his ropes.

“Then we won’t make you~.” A bolt of lightning splits the sky with a thunderous boom, and Shirabu wonders if Tendou’s ‘crazy’ is catching, because he’s _sure_ the lightning was neon green and the clouds a dark purple. 

“But we _will_ make you go inside. Hurry now.” A firm hand pushes on his back and he nods, hurrying below deck where the others take shelter. Ushijima follows his younger brother down the rigging, nowhere near as swift and agile, but sturdy and safe. A rough jolt to the starboard almost sends Goshiki over the edge, but Ushijima grabs him quickly. Hand in hand, they run through the pelting rain and into the crew quarters.

“N-Ngnnnn… I don’t feel good, Issei…”

“I know, snuggle bug, I know.” Hanamaki is curled up on his side in his hammock, head on Matsukawa’s lap as he strokes a hand through the pink-tinted hair, moaning in agony with his arms wrapped around his stomach and tear tracks down his face. Hanamaki is sweaty all over and chokes back a sob as a cry of agony tears from his lips. He’s not the only upset one.

Iwaizumi breathes shallowly, sitting cross legged on the floor with his elbows pressed painfully into his knees and head in his hands, quivering from head to toe as he fights a breakdown at the sound of the waves battering the hull of the ship. Oikawa sits opposite him, hugging him awkwardly from the angle, whispering words of reassurance into his hair and occasionally pressing a soft kiss to his forehead when it gets bad.

Kuroo _would_ be in his baby hammock, if it wasn’t for the way he wept and seized with pain, something causing him to hurt all over. Sawamura paces the opening between the two rows of crew hammocks, back and forth, back and forth, as he rubs a hand over the sorcerer’s back in an attempt to calm him down. 

Knowing he’s not just a baby unsettled by the storm, Sawamura knows something is desperately wrong. Kuroo and Hanamaki are in the same pain they were back in Dovekie canyon, but more _intense_.

“It _was_ green. I’m not lying, Chikara.”

“There’s no way it was green. Lightning isn’t green. I think you’ve had a rotten cackle fruit.”

“You’re the cook. You’d know.” Ennoshita sighs, narrowly dodging a kick aimed at his hammock from Shirabu. They’re always like this.

“Still. Lightning isn’t green.”

“It _was_! And the clouds were purple, I know what I saw! It didn’t _feel_ right, but even Tendou said it was dark magic!” The frustrated hiss immediately captures Sawamura’s attention, as if he wasn’t eavesdropping already. He glances frantically at Kuroo, then Hanamaki, then the floorboards. It…

It all adds up.

Sorcerers of good magic, white magic, and healing magic are all susceptible to dark magic of any kind, pained by curses and wounded by hexes. A protector is always unconsciously sensing magic, absorbing it and calculating the risks with no awareness whatsoever. It’s how they were able to detect and act against a threat. 

But with dark magic powerful enough to have the _strongest sorcerer **ever**_ weeping and sobbing and hurting, it’s no wonder _Hanamaki_ is also suffering. Sawamura sucks in a breath to calm himself, crouching in front of Shirabu’s hammock and putting a soft hand on his shoulder.

“Shirabu. I need you to tell me everything you saw and felt, okay?” The very mention of dark magic, mixed with the green and purple he witnessed in Dovekie canyon has Sawamura worried. Extremely worried. Hanamaki had described the soul crystal of Nightshade Woods as dark, bloodthirsty, and those _same colours_.

It makes Sawamura fear, that outside of Aobajousai castle, the Prince and his companions are being attacked. Targeted. _Hunted_. It’s not that hard to imagine. Seijou is a rising Kingdom, and whilst they’ve been pacifist the last few rulers, there are fears that any _new_ King or Queen could get big ideas and lead feuds against neighbouring countries.

But… This storm is coming from the _east_. From across Okeanos, far from Seijou territory. There’s _no way_ an enemy could be targeting Seijou from, well, _thousands_ of miles away, right? Oikawa didn’t even know anything beyond Shiratori Empire, so it’s hard to imagine they would know about his country in return.

Whilst listening to Shirabu, Sawamura makes one mistake. He takes his eyes off the young Shiratori Prince. Because wherever there’s danger, of _course_ there’s a boy who wants to prove himself. 

Matsukawa is too busy comforting Hanamaki to notice. Oikawa is focused on keeping Iwaizumi reassured, as far from panicking as possible. Ushijima is reluctantly on bucket duty with Hanamaki, making sure he’s holding it in the right place. 

Kuroo is in _agony_ , there’s no way he can pay attention to anything else right now. Not to mention he, Sawamura, and the sailor kids are far back in the room, nowhere near the door.

Henceforth, it’s only _Kenma_ , hunched over and clutching his stomach, struggling to keep his magic under control, who notices their resident shadow slip from the room. With one hand on the wall, he pushes himself to his feet on wobbly legs and trudges after the problem child.

Once he’s out on deck in the storm, he struggles to see through the thick rain, the waves constantly battering the ship, and the wind that blusters over them like it’s trying to sweep them into the sea. He narrows his eyes, scanning the frantic bustling of the crew members, searching for Goshiki.

“Where are you, where are you…?” He mutters to himself, knowing full well that no one can hear him. It helps him concentrate. The problem is that he doesn’t even know where he’s supposed to be looking, where Goshiki could have disappeared to.

And then… It stops.

The indigo clouds still swirl above them, but everything _freezes_. Raindrops pause in mid-fall and Kenma watches as Jin cautiously reaches out and taps one. It falls to the deck like a gemstone, skidding across the wooden surface. Lime green lightning is motionless across the sky. Even the waves have calmed. At least, below them that is.

“We’re surrounded.” Tendou’s somber voice echoes in the sudden silence, and casting his gaze over the side of the ship, Kenma can see the tumultuous waves encircling them. If they move from this spot, they’ll be heading straight back into danger. 

But if they stay here… Kenma can’t help groaning a little as he hunches over more, both hands tightly pressed against his churning stomach. It’s like he’s been stabbed with a blade of lava!

“Captain! There’s something approaching from starboard!”

“I need more detail than ‘something’, Reon!” A pause of silence, only shattered by wary crewmates batting the frozen raindrops out of the way so they can move or see. 

“I- I’m not sure, Tendou… It’s a ship but… But I can see _through_ it. And it’s green. Glowing green. Kind of smokey?” Another bout of silence, but this one is simply stunned confusion, many people looking up the crow’s nest like Reon has grown two heads. He shrugs, telescope in hand.

“What the fuck.” Yamagata might as well have spoken for everyone, but Tendou only slicks over the banister of the stern and onto the main deck, readying his sword. The cutlass, formed from glistening opal with an antler wrapped in leather for the handle, flares up with blue fire that dances over the cutlass in an elegant ballet that radiates with iridescence.

“It’s gonna be a tough battle. Ev’rybody ready?” There’s agreement all round, paired with the crew arming themselves with anything they have. Kenma sighs. This is asking far too much of him. He was only supposed to supervise Kuroo, not get involved in a battle against _dark magic_.

“Urgh… My stomach…” He stumbles forwards a little, feeling about as green as the standstill lightning overhead. And that’s when he spots who he’s looking for. 

Clinging to the mast, in the shadow just beneath the crow’s nest to avoid being spotted, Goshiki stares out at the approaching dark magic with an unreadable face. If Kenma had to guess, he’d say it was _serious_ , wise beyond his years.

“You just had to pick somewhere I can’t reach…” The only Kenma would be able to reach him is to drop one of his magic castings and form another one, specifically for bringing Goshiki down from all the way up there. He sighs again, with a hint of a growl in it. This is so frustrating!

“This is it, me hearties! It’s do or die, and we’re not dying today!” The riotous crew burst into cheer, holding their weapons high as if to intimidate the approaching green ship, no matter how ominous the smokey green effect may be, or the translucence of the boat. It’s bigger than their Fluyt, probably a Galleon.

“Run a shot across the bow, Soekawa. Let’s show these scallywags we mean _business_.” Nodding, the quartermaster sets off a warning shot from the cannons at the front of the ship, aiming for the waters around the Green Galleon. 

From his place high above deck in the crow’s nest, Reon watches diligently through his telescope. He confirms the warning shots were close enough to be spotted. He confirms that there was no sign of surrender. 

And the Green Galleon is still approaching. Slowly, silently, like a predator they can’t escape from no matter if they run or fight. Tendou narrows his eyes, hungry for battle yet cautious for the lives of his crew. It’s possible to lose sailors from both sides in these circumstances.

“Soekawa. No more warning shots.” Jin shivers from head to toe at the icy tone of Tendou’s voice, chilled to the bone by his unspoken order. He salutes.

“A-Aye, Captain!” As soon as the cannonball is loaded, Tendou raises his arm, keeping it perfectly flat. He waits until he can see the ghastly green glow through the frozen raindrops too far from the ship for the crew to smack away.

“Give no quarter, step to, fire in the hole!” He drops his arm down as a command, the boom of the cannon echoing in the silence, sending the cannonball directly towards the bow of the other ship. Tendou’s eyes widen and his lips curl into a smile and then-

“It went straight through! Captain, that’s no boat... That’s a _dredgie ship_!” As if the storm implanted itself in Tendou’s eyes, he grins with a twisted expression and Yamagata holds back a groan. He hasn’t seen that face since their pirate days, and there’s only one way to describe it.

_Bloodthirsty_.

An inhuman craving for villainy and battle, riding the adrenaline of his monstrous lust for warfare on the high seas, desiring an opponent he’ll _struggle_ to defeat. Tendou’s always been ferocious, in a way, and this Ghost Galleon brings back those exciting memories from when they were just young nippers first joining a pirate crew and finding their place.

“Reel it in, Tendou. We can’t afford to be as reckless as we once were.” Whilst his hands still quiver in excitement, Tendou takes a deep inhale to calm himself.

“Right. Give me a teeny-tiny moment.” He heaves himself up onto the edge of the Fluyt, grabbing onto the rigging with one hand and holding his cutlass up in front of his face with his eyes closed. When he opens them, the cutlass bursts into blue opal fire, and he swings it down to produce a roaring flame that cuts through the frozen raindrops and removes them forcefully from the air.

“Can you see better now, Reon?”

“Yes, thank you! It’s definitely a Galleon dredgie, unoccupied, heading towards us at a constant of 2 knots. I estimate we have 12 minutes before it collides with us!” Once more, Tendou readies his opal cutlass.

“We’re gettin’ rid of that thing in ten. All hands on deck! Let’s give that dredgie what for!” The cheer he gets in response is half-hearted, cloaked in apprehension and fear. How can they fight something cannonballs won’t affect? They’re on a _ship_ for goodness sake, it’s not like they can call for help or walk across the water to place seals on the Ghost Galleon and banish it from this realm forever.

They’re fighting a magical being with physical weapons, some of them magic tools, but none powerful enough to take down a _ghost ship_ , even combined. No, what they need is intense, long range magic meant for battle.

“Yamagata. Go and get the travellers. They can help us.” Yamagata’s eyebrows raise in surprise. He knows of Tendou’s magical ability, to read souls and immediately identify the type of magic each person possesses, but he had no idea the adventurers from Seijou, or their own _Princes_ would be able to help.

“You think they’re battle worthy?”

“Matsukawa will be helpful if anyone falls overboard. Ushijima is probably our best line of defence, and Hanamaki might be the one to vanquish this beast. Oikawa and Iwaizumi haven’t awakened their magic yet, but I think we can draw it out of ‘em.”

“What about Sawamura and Goshiki?” A dangerous side glance makes him wish he’d held his tongue.

“I ain’t bringing any kids out here, and Sawamura’s the only one they’ll listen to without question.” Kenma wonders if he should drop his Complete Erasure just to reveal that one of the ‘kids’ is at the top of the mast, apparently listening to _no-one_.

In the end, he doesn’t. Just because it would be a pain in the ass to try and summon all the control for his Complete Erasure again. He’s already suffering thanks to this dark magic, he doesn’t want to accidentally startle someone and get attacked.

“I’m on it.” Yamagata pats his captain on the shoulder before jogging over to the travellers quarters. It’s almost funny watching him stagger on deck, expecting the ship to move with the flow of water. The ‘sea legs’ they’ve had all their lives are betraying them in this moment, the water around the Fluyt frozen as if time itself had stopped.

“The rest of you… Man the cannons! If you have _any_ kind of offensive magic, pour it into those suckers and let rip!” Four or five of the crew, members that Tendou knows don’t have strong magic, but may help just a little, head to the cannons. 

With his cutlass, a magic tool stolen from back in his pirate days, Tendou can’t put that magic into anything else, but he _can_ use it for as far as the blue opal fire will reach. Sending out another burst, he growls in frustration when he realises it doesn’t yet reach.

“Estimate 11 minutes until collision, Captain.”

“Warn me again at 7, Reon.”

“Aye aye.” Yamagata returns, the familiar group with him. Ushijima is first out the door, right on the skipper’s heels, Matsukawa and Hanamaki trailing behind. Iwaizumi hesitates in the doorway, almost pulling Oikawa back into him, but the Prince was prepared for his beloved to stop at any moment.

“You can do this, Iwa-chan. The boat isn’t moving, so you can’t fall overboard.”

“I know that. I _know_. But there’s still water. Deep, deep water.” Oikawa softens his encouraging smile to something more soothing, reaching up and pressing his hand to Iwaizumi’s cheek. Iwaizumi leans into it with a deep exhale, putting his own hand over it and pressing it closer, interlocking their fingers. His eyes close.

“I don’t think I’m ready for this.”

“I know. You- You don’t _have_ to come out.” Iwaizumi huffs with a faint laugh as he peels his pretty eyes half open to look up at Oikawa, pressing his lips to the heel of Oikawa’s hand, still against his cheek. The slight blush that blossoms on the tips of Oikawa’s ears is worth it.

“I’m sure the Captain requested us.”

“Requested, Iwa-chan~. If you want to go below, I’ll pass on the message that you’re not coming.” Iwaizumi pauses. He glances over the deck and casts his gaze as far as he can see across the ocean. With a deeper, slower exhale than before, he straightens up and drops his hand back to his side, still holding Oikawa’s.

“I can’t hide from this all my life. Just… Don’t let go of my hand.”

“That’s a promise I can keep for all _my_ life.” Iwaizumi dips his head in acknowledgement, not able to keep his own blush from dusting over his cheeks at the sincerity of Oikawa’s promise.

Hanamaki casts a glance over his shoulder at them, smiling when Oikawa encourages Iwaizumi further out on the deck. It’s a big step for a hydrophobe, in the middle of the ocean. At the boom of a cannon going off, he flinches and turns his attention to the starboard. Or more accurately, towards the giant fucking ghost ship heading their way. Leaning heavily against Matsukawa, he points at the galleon whilst dryly addressing Tendou.

“So... That’s the thing making me feel sick, right?”

“Ayup.”

“And if that weren’t there, it would just be the seasickness, right?”

“Sure-de-doo.”

“ _I’m gonna fuckin’ destroy it._ ” If the situation wasn’t so serious, Tendou would cackle at the furious, determined whisper. But whether or not Hanamaki can defeat this thing remains to be seen, and it all depends on if his arrows can reach. Henceforth, Tendou only snickers.

“Have fun with that~. We’re counting on you. Wakatoshiiiiiii~!” Tendou flits back around to the Prince he was formally talking to, his shoulders hunching down as he leans in a little, just enough that he can lower his voice so only Ushijima and Yamagata will hear.

“I’m sure Hanamaki’s got it covered, but I need ya to get yer shield magic ready just in case. If we got offence, we gotta assume the ones attacking us have too.” Ushijima nods sagely.

“I will do my best, though I cannot shield the whole ship.”

“I’m not expecting ya to, buddy! Jus’ make sure to block anything incoming!” The corners of Ushijima’s lips turn upwards in a small smile.

“That, I can do easily.” He takes a few steps backwards, takes a deep breath and claps his hands together like he’s about to pray, and then begins an elaborate, elegant dance. As he does, invisible tattoos across his skin begin to glow, a soft gold that increases in brightness and intensity until it’s blinding white, and then fades into purple that glitters as if there's stars in his veins. 

When he opens his eyes, instead of hazel brown, they burn with splashes of colour like the galaxy is trapped in them, animatedly swirling with strength and zeal. His magic is activated, and he exhales steadily as he returns to standing upright, arms held rigidly in the same praying motion. 

To Ushijima, anything that moves is in slow motion, giving him ample time to react and summon a shield to protect whomever he needs. In this state, there is only silence and calmness. He can’t even hear his own heartbeat, though he can feel it thrumming in his chest, a beating drum.

“Matsukawa! Captain asked me to give you this!” Jin passes over a small magical tool and Matsukawa rolls the cylindrical object around in his palm as he investigates it.

“What is it?” He points it towards his face, and Jin pushes his hand down with a deadpan expression.

“A very strong light. Just put a little magic in it and it’ll work. Tendou wants you to use it to locate anyone who might fall overboard if the collision still happens.”

“I- I think there’s been a mistake… I don’t- I don’t _have_ magic. ‘Hiro is the only one who does.” The twist of his face only increases when Jin blinks at him, seemingly surprised.

“You mean you didn’t know?”

“I-... What?”

“Everyone has magic. It just needs to be active. The more time you spend with someone who already uses magic, the more you’ll be able to use yours.”

“But I don’t _have_ magic! It’s not active, or whatever it needs to be!” Jin sighs, pinching the bridge of his nose.

“Tendou can read magic. He can see your type, and that it’s active. You’re a _navigator_ , Matsukawa. Like Yamagata, but with people instead of places. You ever just _known_ where someone is or what direction to go to find them?” 

Matsukawa blinks. He thinks back to all those times he’d known where someone was in the castle or courtyard without being told, or how he’d never had to _search_ for someone because they would ‘coincidentally’ be where he walked to. 

It makes even more sense, when he remembers the rainstorm and bringing Goshiki back to the group. He’d been in a foreign country and _still_ known which way to go!

“... Oh.”

“Yeah. So you think you can use that to point out anyone who falls overboard?” Looking down at the tool thingy in hand, Matsukawa narrows his eyes at it, tongue sticking out the corner of his mouth, and a luminous beam of _blinding_ light rockets out of it. Impossible to miss, if he points this at someone in the water, they’d definitely be seen. 

Or blinded.   
Hopefully not blinded.

“Sure thing.” Jina departs, leaving Matsukawa to run a hand through his hair and wonder why no-one ever pointed out he had magic before. Or that he could use it. Maybe because Seijou only had three registered sorcerers and no other prominent magic? Potions, yes. But magic? Not really.

Hold on a minute. _Potions_. Out of everyone he knew, Matsukawa was the only one who had directly ingested a potion from Yahaba and Watari’s stall. He was the one who spent most his time there and took the plunge, risked it to build up an immunity to poison. Hades too, but Hades wasn’t the one having a _revelation_ right now.

“Hey, ‘Hiro?” The guard doesn’t take his eyes off his target, drawing back his arrow cooly and calmly, which is the complete opposite to how _pissed off_ he is internally. Being seasick is enough, he’s not dealing with this Ghostly Green Galleon on top of it! His stomach fucking **hurts**!

“Yeah?”

“I have magic too.”

“What?!” The arrow - fortunately not yet laced with magic - goes flying straight up into the air before splashing comically straight into the water just in front of them. Matsukawa sheepishly rubs the back of his head as the ripples die down.

“I… Have magic too. Apparently.”

“That’s sweet as _fuck_!!! You gonna swing your Glaive around and get rid of this thing with me?”

“Nope. I’m a navigator? Good at finding things? Uh, people?” He expects Hanamaki to pout or even appear somewhat disappointed, but instead, his eyes light up and he _sparkles_ as he makes the most impressed expression possible.

“That’s so awesome! You’re awesome, Issei! I love you!” Chuckling softly, Matsukawa presses a light kiss to Hanamaki’s forehead.

“I love you too, sweetheart~.”

“Oi lovebirds! We’re kinda busy here!” Matsukawa mutters a not-so-guilty ‘whoops’ and Hanamaki laughs, clearing his throat and turning his attention back to trying to use his magic on the ship. It’s hard to tell if his arrows are even reaching it, since the Galleon emits a green, smokey cloud.

“I don’t think this is working!”

“We don’t have any other option. It’s okay, ‘Hiro, I know you can do it.” Hanamaki takes a deep breath, closing one eye and raising his bow and arrow to eye level. His attention is undivided as he stares down along the shaft, the arrow head pointed dead-on at the Galleon, the fletchling brushing his cheek. 

He exhales slowly and calmly, not even daring to blink as he realises the bow, the arrow flying past in a streak of gold. It’s on a perfectly straight course, directly to the emerald figurehead of a swan. It should strike the heart of the swan, his Protector abilities eradicating the dark magic. 

_Should_. But where there should be a dull thunk, there’s silence. Where the arrow should embed itself in wood, it passes through. 

The arrow that could have saved them all splashes into the ocean, useless. Hanamaki’s face falls and his breathing starts to speed up, resembling a panic. Matsukawa stares out at the ripples in horror, and heads all around dip as if they’re giving up. 

“Seven minutes until impact, Captain!” Tendou closes his eyes and looks up at the stars, accepting that they’re going to collide and that’ll be the end of the Fluyt.

“I- I-... I’m sorry… I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’m sorry-” Hanamaki’s panicked babbling cuts off as someone grabs him by the shoulders, turns him around, and pulls him into a big, strong hug. Warm arms encircle him platonically and rub his back as he buries his face in the crook of Iwaizumi’s neck and hiccups as he fights back tears.

“You did what you could. No one could do better than that. But we haven’t lost yet.” He squeezes a little tighter, and Oikawa rubs Matsukawa’s back just behind them. Raising his voice, Iwaizumi looks over at the Captain.

“We haven’t lost yet! It’s one ship versus all of _us_! There’s strength in numbers and if we work together, I have no doubt we can get rid of it. So tell us what to do, Captain!” Like life has been breathed back into his lungs, Tendou grins monstrously and flings himself back to standing properly, his right hand twitching towards his sheathed opal cutlass.

“2 minutes. 2 minutes and I’ll have a plan. Hold down the fort, crew!” Without warning, he grabs Jin and Yamagata by their clothing and drags them into his quarters, presumably to fumble over paperwork and draw up a plan of attack. He leaves his door open so he can hear Reon calling out how long until impact.

“Th-Thank you, Iwaizumi...” With a sniffle, Hanamaki lifts his head from the now soggy shoulder and gets a bright grin in return.

“Don’t give up yet. Oikawa and I aren’t much help, but we’ll do what we can to give you a clear shot.”

“It won’t w-worrrrrk! The arrow went through it!” He wails again, a heartbreaking cry that has Matsukawa wince and come over to pull him into his own arms, hugging tightly and whispering sweet things into his ear to calm him down. 

Oikawa bites his bottom lip as he watches them. Thanks to Iwaizumi’s words, everyone is fighting again. Loading the cannons, using magic tools, taking inventory… But it’s lackluster. There’s none of that fire they had beforehand, none of that _fight_ or spirit.

“Iwa-chan, what do we do?” Iwaizumi huffs and exhales in one fell swoop, stress lines on his brow as he frowns heavily.

“I don’t know. Tendou said we had magic, but we can’t use it because it’s not ‘active’. He never said what kind it was either. We might be useless here.”

“If we were, why were we summoned?” 

“... We’d better try and ‘activate’ this magic, then.” Oikawa nods his head and smiles encouragingly, trying to disperse the unsureness written all over Iwaizumi’s face. He’s still a little tense from the nearby water, but the fear of that was - ironically - _drowned out_ when he saw a best friend in distress.

“Mhm~. I’m not sure how, but considering Makki’s came from a situation lesser than this, we can’t be too far off from getting our own magic.” Iwaizumi hoarsely chuckles, noticeably taking a step away from the railings. The corners of Oikawa’s lips twitch up as he sidesteps to match him, looking out at the water. Then the boat.

And his face falls with nothing short of terror.

“Incoming!” From the Galleon, three cannonballs just as green and ghostly hurtle towards them, aiming for the side of the ship. If they make holes low enough for water to flood in… The Fluyt will sink in minutes. There’s screaming. There’s ducking. 

The cannonballs that Oikawa feared would hit the Fluyt deck and leave it burning in the same smokey green fire as the Galleon rebound off an invisible wall, sparks of maroon and white bursting over the ocean in a light display. Oikawa, bewildered, turns his head to look at Ushijima.

The Shiratori Prince has both hands extended out, holding up two shields that glitter upon impact. They’re not tall, nor are they wide, but they were just enough to stop the three cannonballs. 

In using his magic, Ushijima could see them approaching in slow motion, long before Oikawa had even gazed out upon the Galleon. He had formed his shields in the blink of an eye, vowing to protect this Fluyt and everyone on it. All in silence.

“Ushiwaka…”

“Leave him be, Oikawa. He’s our best chance of survival at the moment, let him focus.” Oikawa nods, dipping his head and sighing. He doesn’t know how to activate their magic, which Tendou had ascertained that they had, hidden away within them. If it wasn’t active when they needed it _now_ , would it ever be?

“Iwa-chan, what do we do? What do we need to do?” Iwaizumi shrugs. He scratches the back of his head. He hums. Iwaizumi’s thought process is visible and noisy, unlike Oikawa, who stares at the floor blankly and quietly in deep, uninterrupted thought.

Their bubble is shattered by the sound of another boom. Not from their own ship, but from the slowly approaching Galleon, hunting them down. Ushijima does his best to raise some shields, but his maximum is 5, and there are _six_ cannonballs heading towards them. One of them is going to impact.

In slow motion, Ushijima watches the five shatter and explode against his shields, the sixth one slipping through. It narrowly brushes over Saitou’s head, just missing him by the width of a strand of hair, and Ushijima desperately tries to summon another shield as he drops the first one he created, reaching out to his side, internally panicking as he watches Iwaizumi push Oikawa aside and the cannonball is just _too close_ for him to build his shield and-

“ _ **HAJIME!!!!**_ ” Oikawa screeches and stretches to try and grab Iwaizumi’s hand, but the cannonball impacted him right in the chest and blew him backwards, not only knocking the breath from his lungs and probably breaking something, but pushing him backwards. Backwards, backwards, and _backwards_ , through the railings on the other side of the ship leaving splintered wood where he crashed through and the cannonball mockingly floats on the surface of the water where Iwaizumi just fell through.

“Hajime! _Hajime_!” Having reacted to Oikawa’s voice, Hanamaki and Matsukawa run over and grab him before he can throw himself into the water, holding him back as he wrestles to break free. Hanamaki has a stronger grip and holds him under the arms, as Matsukawa puts both hands on his chest.

“You can’t swim either! Leave it to me!” Oikawa still struggles, but Hanamaki assures Matsukawa with a nod that he can handle it. The Prince isn’t exactly thinking clearly, because he would throw Hanamaki off in one move if that were the case.

Matsukawa holds the magic tool Jin gave him between his teeth as he dives, taking the plunge into the deceptively still, calm ocean. It’s freezing. He feels it as soon as he hits the water, and it seeps into his bones as the ocean envelops him, kicking his legs to try and get deeper, squinting painfully through the saltwater. 

It hurts so bad, but he doesn’t dare shut them in fear of missing something - of missing Iwaizumi. But all he can see is dark blue fading into black and a small stream of tiny bubbles floating towards the surface. He follows them. If there’s bubbles, it must be coming from Iwaizumi. He swims deeper into the darkness, even when all he can see is the deep, dark blue.

Eyes open, Iwaizumi sinks. He reaches towards the surface towards the faintest glint of light, but he’s sinking too fast and the light is too far and he’s _drowning, he’s drowning **again-**_. His eyes close, and he remembers.

~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~

The grass all around them frosted over and buried beneath snow, the 9 year old Prince and his best friend forever play battle with wooden swords, under the watchful eye of King Irihata and his own personal guard, Mizoguchi.

“ _Careful_ , Iwaizumi. Watch your stance.”

“Yessir!” Correcting his footing, Iwaizumi holds the wooden sword up just in time to block Oikawa swinging down his own with a dramatic battle cry. Iwaizumi laughs as his voice squeaks at the end.

“What was that, dumbass~?”

“Shut up, Iwa-chan! You’re the one getting told off!” Iwaizumi opens his mouth to argue, but in doing so, leaves his side open to attack. Oikawa knocks his wooden sword against the exposed side and winks with his tongue poking out.

“Why you-!” Mizoguchi sighs and Irihata laughs as Iwaizumi tosses his sword aside and tackles Oikawa into the snow, the children rolling around shrieking in glee. It draws the attention of two other boys nearby, who look up to their caretakers as if to ask permission to be excused from their duties. Oikawa notices them before they get an answer.

“Makki! Mattsun! Come play!”

“Prince Oikawa, this is supposed to be practice! Not playing!” With a soft laugh, King Irihata cuts off Mizoguchi’s spluttering simply by raising a hand.

“They are children, and it’s a fine winter's day. Let them play~.” Sighing, the knight gives in and nods towards the children, giving them the permission they need to launch themselves into a riot, squealing and laughing and tackling each other in the snow.

“Be mindful of the pond!” A snowball hits the knight in the face and the 9 year olds freeze, glancing at each other with pallid expressions as Mizoguchi wipes it off slowly, gritting his teeth and holding back a growl. They frantically look at each other and drop their snowballs to cover for Hanamaki, the only one without.

“Who did that.” For as much as he’s seen the whole thing unfold, Irihata doesn’t spill. His eyes dance with mirth as he holds a finger over his lips for the children to hold their tongues. Matsukawa does, literally. Oikawa whistles innocently, hands behind his back, and Iwaizumi recovers his wooden sword to hold up defensively towards his mentor as Hanamaki hides behind him.

“Come on, fess up.” Tapping his foot with crossed arm, Mizoguchi looks imposing, but Irihata can tell by the relaxed stance of his shoulders that he too, is just playing. He could call Mizoguchi out for being a hypocrite, but he’d rather watch the situation play out.

“Which one of you did it?” Hanamaki whimpers, shrinking further behind Iwaizumi and Matsukawa shrugs as Oikawa turns his back on the knight, then drops his relaxed stance.

“Run!” At his shout, all four of the 9 year olds bolt, laughing and shouting as they weave around the garden area in spirals and swirls, circling around Mizoguchi and flicking more snow up at him as he playfully tries to catch them, ducking to avoid his hands.

Irihata laughs with reckless abandon, watching his son and his son’s friends lead his Knight in circles, running around him with glee and _enjoying_ their youth. As he wipes a joyful tear from the corner of his eye, his face moulds into horror.

“Iwaizumi, no!” His son’s best friend - the absolute light of Oikawa’s life - skids to halt at Irihata’s cry, but it’s too late. His foot lands on the ice at the edge of the pond and he slips, falls onto his side, and slides right into the centre. He hits his head on the ice, making him black out for a full minute. To those watching, it feels like an eternity. 

When he raises his head, blinking off the grogginess, Irihata has the children standing around him a safe distance from the pond, in his arms, Oikawa crying, Hanamaki holding his hands over his face, and Matsukawa breathing heavily like he’s having a panic attack. 

“Don’t worry, I’m-” His reassurance fades as he realises he _isn’t_ okay. The ice underneath him is cracked. It’ll give way any second now. Helpless, he looks up at the three in fear and pushes a quiet cry for help past his lips.

“Don’t move, don’t move. Mizoguchi’s gone for a ladder, Iwaizumi, don’t move.”

“The- The ice is-... The ice!” His voice pitches up in distress. He’s only _nine_ , he’s cold and scared, and he doesn’t want to die! Oikawa wrestles himself out of his father’s arms, face painted in determination.

“Makki, help me pluck the long grass! Mattsun, start weaving them! We’re gonna make a rope, quicker than Mizoguchi gets back!” Irihata doesn’t stop them. He knows it’s a useless effort, to try and _make_ a rope. Mizoguchi will be back with the ladder soon enough. But he lets them, because at least it keeps them occupied, lets them feel like they’re helping.

With the other children over by the patch of long grass, far from the pond, Irihata turns his attention to Iwaizumi. He’s shivering. He’s notably freaked out. Freezing water seeps up from the cracks in the ice and soaks into his dark green tunic and brown cloak. His white mittens press flat against the surface of the ice, trying to push himself up and out of the water.

“Don’t move. I know it’s uncomfortable, but I need you to be brave, okay?” Green eyes flicker up to him, then back down to the increasing water. 

“I’m always brave.” His voice trembles as he shivers. He stops trying to push himself up. With his head against the ice, he can _hear_ it cracking beneath him and he tries to stay perfectly still. Irihata settles himself on the very edge of the grass next to the pond, where the child can see him.

“I know you are~. That’s why I trust you with Tooru. I know you’ll protect him for the rest of your lives.”

“Of course I will. I love him.” He delivers the line with such sincerity that Irihata blinks. He’s known for a long time that his precious son and intended knight have had crushes on each other, like children always do, but he didn’t realise that maybe - just _maybe_ \- it was more than a crush. Now, he smiles.

“He probably loves you too, Iwaizumi.”

“Mhm. He says we’re gonna get married. Um, if that’s okay, Your Highness?” Despite the cold and bump to the head, Iwaizumi seems to remember who he’s talking to. Not that Irihata cares, he’s never cared much about his title. Just that his Kingdom was happy. He’s a kind man, and especially weak to children.

“Certainly! You have my blessing~. Let me know when the wedding is and I’ll prepare a fine celebration!” He laughs in delight, knowing Tooru couldn’t be in safer hands. All that remains - he thinks, face falling - is to get Iwaizumi safely off the ice and near the fire indoors to warm up. Iwaizumi’s face suddenly freezes, aghast. _Terrified_.

“It’s breaking, it’s breaking-!” The ice creaks. It cracks. The boy who was lying atop it falls through, the freezing water of the small but deep pond swallowing him alive.

“Iwaizumi!”

“ _Iwa-chan!_ ” Irihata manages to catch Oikawa and Hanamaki as they try to barrel past, grabbing onto the backs of their cloaks and dragging them backwards as they cry out. By the long grass, Matsukawa is still. He doesn’t move. He stands, rigid, frozen in place just staring at the hole in the ice with a growing fear. But he doesn’t move. He doesn’t move.

“Mizoguchi!” Irihata shouts as the Knight appears from the courtyard, ladder over his shoulder. In a split second he takes in the situation, drops the ladder, hurtles towards the pond, and jumps in. There’s no hesitation. There can’t _afford_ to be, with how cold the water is and how long Iwaizumi has been submerged. 

Time almost seems to slow down. It feels like _ages_ until Mizoguchi reemerges, gasping for breath and using one arm to break through the ice to the edge of the pond, the other pulling Iwaizumi up against his chest, fighting to keep his nose above water. He’s unconscious.

“Iwa-chan, Iwa-chan, Iwa-chan…” Oikawa chants and Hanamaki whimpers as they reach down and pull Iwaizumi out of the water, the two 9 year olds just enough to drag his heavy, soaked body from Mizoguchi’s arms and onto the snow. Irihata helps Mizoguchi out, taking off his kingly robe to offer the knight. Mizoguchi declines it and instead, the robe is laid over Iwaizumi.

“Iwaizumi, can you hear me? Iwaizumi!” He might not say it aloud, but Mizoguchi thinks of his apprentice as his own child, even if he is a little young for children, and seeing the boy he’s come to love so much lying in the snow, barely _breathing_ is hard for him to deal with. Through waterlogged eyes, he performs CPR.

“C’mon, Iwa-chan c’mon…!” Oikawa kneels by his side, begging for Iwaizumi to wake up, holding tightly onto Hanamaki’s hand as the more sensitive of the four sobs and hiccups. Matsukawa remains where he stands. His lungs feel like the ice Iwaizumi fell through. His legs feel as frozen as the water. He can’t _move_.

Then, a loud and desperate gasp for air. Iwaizumi bolts up, Mizoguchi’s hand supporting him and rubbing his back as he chokes and heaves, coughing up water by the mouthful and wheezing for oxygen. 

“Iwa-chan!”

“Easy, Iwaizumi, easy…” By the time he’s finished, Iwaizumi slumps in Mizoguchi’s arms completely exhausted, breathing ragged. The knight cradles him close, soft as he possibly could. He turns his head at a hand on his shoulder, Irihata comforting him. 

“Let’s get him to the infirmary.” Nodding, Mizoguchi goes to pick Iwaizumi up when he suddenly flails, scrambles like he’s trying to get away from something. Oikawa tries to shush him, but in the end, it’s Hanamaki who works out what’s wrong. Iwaizumi is staring dead into the centre of the pond, at the water that swallowed and almost drowned him.

“Get him away from the pond!” It’s a struggle, with how much Iwaizumi tries to fight back, to escape the clutches of something around him, but they manage to drag him back a safe distance. He’s exhausted by his efforts, coughing again with more water and bile dripping down his chin.

“Matsukawa, go and tell the nurse to prepare a bed. Matsukawa! Matsukawa?” When he doesn’t respond, Oikawa quickly drags Hanamaki over and they pull their shellshocked friend into a tight hug.

“Come on, we’ll go together.”

“I- I didn’t do anything… I couldn’t- I didn’t… Do anything…” Hanamaki squeezes Matsukawa’s hand, sympathetically pressing his forehead against Matsukawa’s temple.

“It’s okay… I- I couldn’t either.”

“I couldn’t _move_.” Oikawa pats his shoulder.

“It’s okay, Mattsun. We were scared.” Matsukawa sighs, angry at himself inside. He willed himself to do something but he couldn’t. He tried to do as Oikawa commanded, but he couldn’t. He did _nothing_ , and he hates himself for it.

“We can act now… We need to warn the nurse.” Finally, _finally_ , his feet unroot themselves from the frosty ground, and he takes his first steps in a few minutes, Oikawa dragging him by the wrist and Hanamaki loyally by his side, still holding his hand. 

As they run past Mizoguchi, who is still bundling Iwaizumi up in King Irihata’s robe, intending to scoop him up comfortingly, a small, shivering hand reaches out and grabs onto the corner of Oikawa’s tunic.

“To’-chan…” The childish nickname from when they were toddlers, paired with how shakily, how _needily_ it’s spoken, timid and weary, has Oikawa stopping in tracks. He gives Matsukawa and Hanamaki a nod, and the duo continue on, sprinting towards the infirmary to give fair warning of a critical a patient.

Crouching down, Oikawa cups Iwaizumi’s hand in his own, clasping it between both of his and breathing warm air over the freezing digits.

“It’s okay, Iwa-chan. Everything’s okay now.”

“M’tired… ‘n’ cold…” Oikawa bites into his bottom lip nervously, knowing from the many books he’s read that feeling tired when having just been through a life threatening situation is bad. Very bad.

“Just… Stay awake. _Stay awake_.”

~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~

Iwaizumi’s eyes fly open. He’s still surrounded by water and his lungs are screaming and bubbles burst from his mouth as he tries to shout for Oikawa, but he’s… Strangely calm. He knows he’s drowning again. He can feel the heaviness in his limbs and the tiredness seeping through him.

_“Stay awake.”_ He doesn’t know what to do, but he knows what he mustn’t, Oikawa’s voice ringing in his ears. Iwaizumi thinks back - desperately - to watching from afar as Mizoguchi trained other guards their age to swim in summer, in the same pond Iwaizumi refused to go anywhere near.

He kicks his legs in turn, unsure what to do with his arms and reaching for what he _hopes_ is the surface in increasing distress. Everything feels so _heavy._

He wonders if it’s okay to stop, like he could float to the surface by will alone.  
He wonders if it would hurt less if he just stopped trying, if his lungs would stop burning.  
He wonders if this is some kind of nightmare he’d wake up from, if he fell asleep.

_“Stay awake.”_ He jerks out of those kind of thoughts, recovering his limbs from where he’d let them drop as he sank. He would choke out a scream, if he could, running out of air. He can’t _breathe_!

Then, suddenly, movement flickers in his peripheral vision. He can’t summon the energy to turn his head and look, but out of the corner of his eye, he sees it drawing closer. He doesn’t even have enough air to panic if it might be dangerous.

But as it draws closer, he realises it looks vaguely… Human. Mostly. The long, beautiful tail of a fish, silver scales that shimmer like new coins with splotches of black as velveteen as the night, and the occasional glint of gold and white gives away the fact that this thing is not entirely human. But… Those golden eyes and the soft but spirited smile is so friendly… Iwaizumi relaxes, his heavy eyelids fluttering shut.

The creature, half-human, half-fish swims up to him with the same ease as clouds drifting through the sky, and pokes him. _Pokes him_. Right in the cheek. He fights to open them again, his gaze fixing on the strands of silver and black hair that somehow defy gravity, even underwater. 

The newcomer moves his hands rapidly, white long sleeves sticking out against the black of the deep ocean like a sore thumb, like he’s shaping something around Iwaizumi’s head, and suddenly, there’s air!

Iwaizumi gasps and chokes, the bubble around his head separating him from the water. It’s a strange feeling, being underwater, being _soaked_ , and yet breathing sweet, precious oxygen. The stranger grins, tiny bubble escaping gills on the side of his neck, and then frowns as Iwaizumi splutters.

With one sweep of his hand, the half-human half-fish creature pulls something from Iwaizumi’s mouth. _Water_. He draws it out from Iwaizumi’s lungs in a swirling spiral, stopping his breathing for what feels like an eternity but is actually only seconds. Iwaizumi can feel it being dragged out, and it’s painful, but the relief afterwards as the creature pulls the gathered water out of the air bubble is immense.

“To’-chan…” His faint mumble proceeds his head dropping forwards, and the creature rushes to wrap his arms underneath Iwaizumi’s, catching him as a cold, wet forehead presses against his shoulder, the air bubble moving constantly to keep Iwaizumi’s face exactly in the middle. 

The split second before Iwaizumi completely blacks out, he registers a blinding bright light from above, and another pair of hands settling around his waist, pulling him up against the heaviness of the water that sought to claim him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I love cliffhangers. :)
> 
> Please kudos/comment!! 
> 
> COMPETITION: I need a new summary to draw more readers to this fic! If you'd like to enter, please add a SUMMARY: into your comment!   
> 1st place - An entire 15,000+ word fic on any character in this AU, with your choice of genre!  
> 2nd place - A one shot of a character in this AU, between 5000 to 8000 words.  
> 3rd place - A character of your choice will join the adventuring party!


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